


Be strong, Don’t Cry

by Widowfics



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Marvel Universe, Peter Needs a Hug, Peter Parker - Freeform, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie), Whump, i don't know how interrogations work, i'm just an 8th grader don't judge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2020-09-07 01:33:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 37,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20301247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Widowfics/pseuds/Widowfics
Summary: Continuation of Spider-man: Far From Home (The best Spider-man movie of all time, if you ask me)





	1. ARREST

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time using this site. I hope you enjoy the story! It will have many more chapters, don't worry:)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breaking News: Peter's life has just been changed, forever. And what do you know! Not in a good way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm late to the game, since Far From Home came out about two months ago, but I hope it was worth it!

Peter sits on the lamppost, temporarily paralyzed with shock. Breaking news has just flashed on the gigantic screens of Times Square. The news was this: Spider-man was the one who staged the recent attack on London, and even more shocking news, Spider-man’s real name is Peter Parker, 16-year-old kid from Queens. Peter is _that_ Peter Parker, and he is definitely Spider-man, seeing as he is currently sticking to the top of a lamppost after swinging from webs through New York City.

Peter lowers himself from the lamppost, now a nervous wreck. He sees MJ run to him and embraces her in a protective hug.

“What was that?!” she exclaims, hugging Peter back tightly.

“I don’t know!” he responds, his voice high, confirming he’s as scared as he feels.

“What will they do to you?”

“I don’t know!”

“Can they arrest you? You’re technically an Avenger.”

“That didn’t stop them from arresting Captain America, remember?”

“Is it true?”

Peter stops. “Is what-“ he understands. “No! Of course not.”

He hugs MJ again as his eyes dart from place to place. He notices that everybody who was walking on the sidewalk has stopped to look at them. Then he realizes something.

“MJ, you gotta get out of here.”

Suddenly, he hears sirens. Soon at least a dozen cop cars have surrounded the two. About twenty officers are closing around the two with guns pointed.

“Get down!” one of the officers yells.

Peter briefly thinks of swinging away, but comes up with the idea that that might be suspicious, and besides, he has to stay with MJ. Both Peter and MJ begin to obey.

“On your knees with your hands behind your head!” the same officer continues.

Peter and MJ obey again. By this time a couple of news channel vans have also pulled up to the scene, cameras assembled and recording.

“Who are you?” a different officer, a woman, asks.

She is directing her question to MJ.

“My name is Michelle Jones,” she answers through gritted teeth, probably frightened by all the guns pointed at her. She is after all, only sixteen and, unlike Peter, not used to being close to danger.

“Why are you here? What is your relationship with him?” the women officer says, gesturing towards Peter with her gun.

“I’m-I’m his girlfriend,’ she gets out.

Even though this is no time to be thinking of love, Peter’s heart flutters slightly at this statement. He’s never had a girlfriend before, and although they’ve been officially dating for the past few weeks, she’s never actually called herself that before, and it makes him happy. Peter returns to his senses as the women officer begins to speak.

“We’re not going to hurt you, but I need you to come with me.”

MJ becomes the tiniest bit upset.

“What about him? Are you going to hurt him?” she asks, pointing at Peter.

“MJ…” Peter says quietly.

The woman officer’s face remains unchanged.

“Please come with me now.”

MJ gives Peter a look and he nods. She reluctantly follows the officer to one of the many cop cars. The officer opens the door and MJ ducks in. The officer closes the door and takes her place among the others again. Another officer, a tall black-haired man, cautiously lowers his gun and walks over to Peter. He pulls out some handcuffs and snaps them on. Peter could easily break through, but he doesn’t, because he has decided to let them do their job. When they interview him, and he’s sure they will, they’ll realize he is literally just a 16-year-old kid - well, a sixteen-year-old kid with superpowers. But a kid nonetheless. And kids don’t launch attacks on London. Now his identity reveal…that’s another thing. It will make things harder in the future. But Peter will not think about the future, just focus on the present.

Turns out the present isn’t much better.

As the black-haired officer starts to stand him up, another one comes running towards them. The officer lets go of Peter, and Peter is back on his knees.

“Chief just called. He wants the unmasking right now,” the officer who just ran up says.

“Here? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I know, I know. But I’m serious.”

The black-haired officer sighs and looks at Peter.

“Fine.”

The news cameras are allowed to come up closer. A reporter is telling one camera that “we are about to know the truth once and for all.” The black-haired officer stands behind Peter ready to pull the mask off and reveal Spider-man’s identity to the world, for sure this time. All camera’s trained on Spider-man, everyone in New York (maybe even the country) holding their breath.

“3…2…1.”

The officer rips off the mask. Peter instinctively turns his head down.

“Lift your head up,” the officer sternly orders.

Peter reluctantly listens. His big brown eyes stare into the camera, his lip slightly quivering. He can stop thieves and fight murderers, but one thing he does not do, is go in front of crowds.

_I will not cry, I’m gonna be strong_, he tells himself.

But the whole thing is so overwhelming.

Luckily, the officers walk him away. They seem to be in a hurry to get out as well. He sees MJ, still in the cop car, pressing her hands and face against the window, trying to get his attention. He gives her a quick, sad look, and then is forced to keep walking. He can hear gasping and chattering fill the air. People comment about how young or how dangerous he is, news reporters tell audiences their theories of what will happen next, police officers talk on radios about transport. But the thing that gets Peter the most is the words of a young lady, a journalist.

“Now that we know Mysterio was telling the truth about the identity,” she says, “then could it be true that our beloved Spider-man really is responsible for the all those deaths in London?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! Hope this was a good opening. Peter's been through a lot of crap, and this fic will be focusing mainly on his state of mind after Far From Home. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	2. INTERVIEW PART 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my friend's summary:
> 
> This chapter is basically an excuse for me to write Tom Holland's Peter Parker's take on his life (since Marvel didn't show that to us). It's obvious that I don't know how interviews work, so please forgive me!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't figured it out yet, my friend loves angst:) Enjoy the pain!

The trip to the police department seems to take forever. Peter sits in the back of a van between two officers holding guns. They keep glancing at him, probably wondering why they’re guarding a 16-year-old, until they remember that this 16-year-old has superpowers and is suspected of launching an attack on London. Peter tries to think of his current situation, but his thoughts always drift back to MJ.

_I hope she’s ok_, he thinks.

She’s not easily rattled, but Peter could see she was frightened today. He knows it’s his fault she was even dragged into this mess. If only he didn’t hang out with her in the suit. And if only he hadn’t given up those glasses. He knew it was a terrible mistake that resulted in some severe consequences, but he thought that it was all behind him now.

Obviously not.

Just stupid mistake after stupid mistake after stupid mistake. This was Peter’s life, it seemed. Peter sighs and puts his head in his hands. The sudden movement startles the officers and they cock their guns.

“Sorry!” Peter squeaks, tensing up. He slowly goes back to a normal sitting position and the officers relax.

_This is gonna be a long trip_, Peter thinks.

~

A few hours have passed since Peter arrived at the police station. He now paces around a bright, white room, waiting for someone, anyone, to tell him what’s going on. Finally, a door slides open and a woman who seems to be in her mid-thirties walks in. Behind her follow two big men holding – you guessed it – more guns. The door slides shut and the two men take their place on each side. The woman is wearing a knee-length dress with flower print. She has kind eyes, pretty hair, a nice big smile – in other words, she looks nothing like an interrogator. In fact, she reminds Peter of the many therapists May has convinced him to go see over the past few years of his life.

_They can’t think_ _I’m crazy,_ _can they?_

Peter speaks up.

“Are you here to interrogate me, ma’am?”

From now on, Peter will play the innocent kid. And it’s not really playing, since he _is_ an innocent kid.

The lady answers back in a calm voice.

“In a way, I guess. Would you like to take a seat, Mr. Parker?”

She sits down behind a desk Peter hadn’t noticed before, maybe because it was also white, and blended with the wall. (or maybe because even with his spider-sense, his mind was often preoccupied, and he was terrible at noticing things) He timidly approaches the desk, then takes a seat in front of it.

“My name is Dr. Claudia Shepherd. I’m going to ask you a few questions. Is that ok?”

“Of course ma’am.”

“So Peter, it must be awfully stressful to balance superhero work and school work. How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle?” Dr. Shepherd asks thoughtfully.

Peter thinks for a moment. Since his identity is already out, he may as well answer the questions as truthfully as he can.

“Well, when I’m not being Spider-man or doing my homework, I usually spend time with my friends. We like to do a lot of stuff together.”

“And these friends, do they include Ned Leeds and Michelle Jones?”

Peter is a little stunned. How do they know about Ned so soon? Did they bring him in too? He manages to answer the question without worry in his voice.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Uh-huh. So Peter, why don’t you tell me about your life? Your childhood, how you got your powers, what made you the Spider-man you are today.”

“Oh, ok. That’s a really long story. Are you sure you want me to get into the whole thing? Because I can-” 

“Yes Peter. Please tell me everything.”

Peter takes a deep breath.

“Ok then. Um, I was born August 10, 2001 here in Queens. My parents were Richard and Mary Parker. When I was six, they were, um, they were both killed in a plane crash.”

Peter looks at the doctor, who gives him a sympathetic nod. Peter continues.

“I immediately went to live with my aunt and uncle, Ben and May Parker, in an apartment, still in Queens. We lived pretty happily together. Um, when I was eight, they took me to the Stark Expo. That was the year the whole Hammer drone accident happened. I probably would’ve died that night, if Iron Man hadn’t – if Iron Man hadn’t been there to save me.”

Peter pauses. He remembers that night. He had always been a huge Iron Man fan, and that night he had been decked out in every single piece of Iron Man merchandise he owned (which was like a mask, some toy repulsors, and maybe a t-shirt). When the drone came for him, he probably should’ve just run away, but being his stupid self, he tried to fight the thing. Luckily Mr. Stark came to his rescue right on time.

“Good job kid,” he had said after blowing the thing up. Then he had blasted off.

Two seconds of interaction. But that had been the best thing that had ever happened to Peter. When Ben and May had found him, Peter was just standing there in a daze, happy as can be. May had been crying and Ben had been hugging him tightly while he rambled on and on about how Iron Man saved him, Iron Man talked to him, Iron man _noticed_ him.

“Peter! Hey, you good?”

Peter snaps his head up, realizing he spaced out for a few seconds.

“Yeah! I mean, yes, I’m-I'm fine.”

“Please continue.”

“Of course. Alright. Let’s see. Umm… I finished elementary school, then middle school with pretty good grades. In 9th grade, when I was fourteen, I started going to Midtown School of Science and Technology. Uh, not surprisingly, my class went on a science field trip. We were looking at these really cool bugs that the scientists had been experimenting on. My favorite were the spiders. I had gone up to get a closer look at them, and I guess one must have gotten loose, because it crawled up my shirt and bit me. But I didn’t really know it bit me till later, when all the weird stuff started happening.” 

“What do you mean by ‘weird stuff’?” 

“Well, first I got really sick. Like really sick. I threw up at least ten times the day after the field trip. My head was pounding and my whole body was shaking. I was in the bathroom so much that day, my teachers thought I was skipping school. I got in a little bit of trouble. The next day I felt much better, but I realized I didn’t need my glasses anymore. And I was extremely hungry. It seemed like I couldn’t eat enough that day. Over the week I kept discovering new things, like how I could stick to walls, and how I was maybe, I don’t know, a hundred times stronger, oh and I got this cool, like spider sense.” 

“Spider sense? What do you mean?” 

“Well it’s kinda like, umm, imagine if, uhh. For example, I can hear your heart beating – right now.”

Dr. Shepherd instinctively looks down at her chest. Peter points at one of the guards. 

“And I can see the little note on his hand that says ‘buy flowers tonight’.”

He points at the other one.

“And I can smell the mint from the gum he was chewing.”

The two officers look a bit embarrassed, because no doubt this whole thing is being recorded.

“May said it just added to my anxiety.” Peter shrugs. “She was probably right.”

“That’s very interesting. You may go on with your story.”

Dr. Shepherd smiles and nods, almost uncomfortably. Peter wonders why. Does this particular power make her nervous? Like he’ll somehow see through her and find out something she doesn’t want him to know? What are they hiding from him? He continues anyway.

“Well, I started to learn how to get my powers under control. I made this web fluid and these web shooters that I use to swing through the city. Everything was going good – great actually. Then a horrible acci-" Peter's voice cracks. "A terrible accide-" He tries one more time. "Something really bad happened. Umm – my – uhh – sorry.”

Peter looks straight at the ground. The doctor leans forward a little bit. 

“It’s ok Peter. Tell me.”

Peter hesitates.

“My Uncle Ben-” Peter looks at the ceiling. “My Uncle Ben was shot – and killed.”

The doctor lets out a small oh. 

“Peter. I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah. So am I. I could’ve stopped it. I was there, I watched him die. I could’ve saved him with my new powers. But I was- I was too late.” 

“I’m very sorry Peter.”

“Yeah. That night I decided I didn’t want anybody to go through what I went through. That’s when I became what the world knows as Spider-man. For six months I used my powers to stop robberies, car crashes, cats getting stuck in trees. I helped the police when they needed it, but usually I just stayed back and let them handle it. One day, I was coming home from school. I walked into my apartment, and that’s when I met one of the most amazing people in the world.”

Peter looks straight at the doctor and smiles sadly. 

“His name was Tony Stark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! Hope you're enjoying the story. Please tell me in the comments if my chapters are too short. They look long in Word, but I'm starting to question myself! You're answer would be much appreciated. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	3. INTERVIEW PART 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's just trying to finish the frickin interview without being charged for terrorism.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second half of the interview. much angst.

“Mr. Stark had come to my home to offer me a chance to help him. He was creating a little team to help him confront Captain America and his team. Obviously I accepted, who would turn down an offer from Tony Stark? Especially if he saved your life. Anyway, we flew to Germany together. That’s when Mr. Stark gave me a brand new suit, which is the one I usually wear now. I got to see a bunch of really cool people, even if I didn’t get to talk to them. Even though Captain America escaped, Mr. Stark told me he was really impressed by what I did that day. He let me keep the suit and dropped me off back home. I did my best to prove myself to Mr. Stark by using the suit to stop some more, high level crimes. That’s when the whole Adrienne Toomes mess happened. After wrapping that up, Mr. Stark offered me a spot in the Avengers. But when I was fighting the Vulture, I got super close to death. It made me think, maybe I wasn’t ready to be an Avenger. So for about two years, I was just a friendly, neighborhood Spider-man. I hung out with Mr. Stark in his lab a lot. We worked on my school projects, on our suits; we talked about our lives too. We got really close.”

_I should’ve known that was a mistake_, Peter thinks.

“Then Thanos happened.”

Dr. Shepherd looks down briefly. One of the guards shifts uncomfortably. Peter knows almost everyone had been affected. He moves through the next part quickly.

“In the attack on New York, I accidentally got stuck on the alien’s spaceship, along with Mr. Stark and Dr. Strange. We went to a planet called Titan, met up with these really cool guys who called themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy, and tried to defeat Thanos there. Umm, we failed, obviously. I guess he went to Earth, to, uh, snap. Those cool guys I mentioned? Yeah, they blipped. So did Dr. Strange. And then so did I. Man, that really hurt.”

“Peter, I blipped, and I didn’t feel anything.”

“Yeah, that’s weird. Every person that I talk to about the Blip says the same thing. I guess it was my spider-sense and enhanced healing that slowed the process down. Anyway, when I blipped back, uh, five years later I guess, I was still on Titan. Dr. Strange was there, telling me and the Guardians to get ready, cause we were going to battle Thanos, and this time we were going to win.”

That wasn’t the full story, but Peter had never told anyone the full story. The full story started with Peter waking up.

_“Mr. Stark? Mr. Stark!” _

_Peter darts upwards, eyes wild, searching the planet’s ground for his mentor. _

_“Mr. Stark, where are you?” _

_Mr. Stark wasn’t there, but Dr. Strange was. _

_“Hey. Hey! Look at me.” _

_He places his hands on Peter’s shoulders to steady the boy. _

_“Hey, Peter? Is it Peter?” _

_Peter nods. _

_“Ok. Mr. Stark isn’t here. It’s been five years since we fought Thanos.” _

_Dr. Strange watches as this registers in the kid’s mind. _

_“Five- five years?” _

_“Yes. Now we have to go fight Thanos again, before he destroys-” Dr. Strange stops at the sound of Peter mumbling and whimpering. _

_“Five years? No no no, May’s gonna kill me. That’s five years of make-up work. How old is Ned? Wait, did they die too? What am I going to do? Oh no, what am I- what the heck?!” _

_Peter jumps at the touch of someone’s hand. It’s that alien lady with antennas. _

_“Can- can I help you?” Peter asks nervously. _

_She doesn’t answer, just stares at the alien guy and the human guy. _

_“He is in much distress.” _

_Peter is confused. _

_“What?” _

_Dr. Strange nods and begins to open a portal. _

_“I can send you home now, and we’ll go join the others.” _

_Peter jumps to his feet. _

_“Wait! No, I- I can help!” _

_Dr. Strange stops. _

_“Don’t send me home sir. I can help, if that’s okay with you.” _

_Dr. Strange gives him a look. _

_“Are you sure?” _

_“It’s what Mr. Stark would want me to do.” _

_With that, Dr. Strange opens a huge portal. It leads to a place filled with smoke and debris. Peter takes a deep breath, closes his mask, and swings in. _

“He opened a portal, and we all stepped into the ruins of the Avengers Compound. We battled Thanos, plus his entire army. Besides destroying him, our goal was to also keep the infinity gauntlet with the infinity stones, the one that was used to bring us back, to the time machine, so he couldn’t use it again. At one point it was handed to me. I ran as far as I could with it. A bunch of people helped me, like Captain America, and Mrs. Stark, oh and the new king of Asgard. I was almost there, but then Thanos started nuking us. I got blown back into this ditch, and all I could do was hold onto it as tightly as possible until someone else came to get it. Eventually someone did. It was actually Captain Marvel. I couldn’t really see what happened after that. I went up closer, just in time to see- to see-” Peter’s voice catches.

“To see what? Peter, what did you see?”

Peter knows what he saw. And he wishes he hadn’t. That it wasn’t real, like all the horrors Beck had made him watch. That it never happened, like all the nightmares he’s ever had. But it was real, and it did happen.

“I saw Tony Stark use the stones to save the universe – and then die because of it.”

Small tears run down Peter’s face, but he doesn’t let the doctor comfort him this time.

“I told him – he won. I begged him to stay with me, because I didn’t think that I could survive the guilt of losing that I loved more than anything ever again. But he was – he was gone.” Peter whispers the next part. “And there was nothing I could do about it.”

He starts to cry softly.

_Stop it! You’re making yourself look stupid!_

He inhales deeply, then lets a shaky breath out. He grabs the edge of the desk and wipes his eyes.

“I’m- I’m s-sorry.”

“It’s fine. I only have one more question. What happened in Europe?”

Peter tells her the whole thing, about his school trip, about Nick Fury and Quentin Beck, about being stupid and giving up the glasses.

“After he realized I found out about his plan, he tried to kill me. First he used his illusion tech to play with my mind. Then he pushed me in front of a train, but I survived that, obviously. I got inside the train, but then I passed out. I woke up-”

“Wait. Did you say he played with your mind. What did he show you, Peter?”

Something inside Peter says he can't tell this lady about that.

“I don’t – I don’t want to talk about it.”

If he was going to tell anyone about this, it wouldn’t be a complete stranger.

“Peter. I need you to tell me, or else I’m going to-”

“No ma’am. You don’t understand. I can’t talk about it! To anyone! Ok?” Peter calms himself down. “I’m really sorry. I just can’t – if I – the things-”

“No. It’s fine.” She stands up. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Parker. I hope we see each other again.”

The door slides open, and she gives him a small smile before walking out of the room. The two guards follow. The door slides shut. Peter rushes up to the wall. He presses his ear up and tries to hear anything. There is something. A man’s voice.

“Well? What did you find out?”

Now it’s Dr. Shepherd’s voice.

“He’s hiding something. He talked about Mysterio playing with his mind, but he wouldn’t tell me what he showed him.”

“What’s your conclusion?”

“His life has been extremely traumatic. He could have easily been talked or tricked into sending those drones. Mysterio may not have been the hero he claimed to be, but Spider-man sure isn’t either.”

Peter’s heart sinks. He slumps to floor and buries his head in his hands. The words echo in his head.

_“Mysterio may not have been the hero he claimed to be, but Spider-man sure isn’t either.” _

_What am I going to do? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my best friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So I know when I describe what happened between the reverse snap and the huge battle, Dr. Strange wouldn't have tried to send Peter back home because he already saw the timeline where they win, and Peter is necessary, but I like it better this way. Also, if the ending is confusing, I'm really sorry. It basically means that the police were fairly sure Peter was innocent, but for precautionary reasons, they arrested him. Now that Peter's acting so suspicious, they're not so sure (what they don't know is that Peter does not do well under pressure).


	4. VISITATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is traumatized by the events in Europe. Does he want to tell someone? Yes, very much. Will he tell someone? Nooo, of course not! Whatever gave you such an idea?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CAUTION
> 
> Angst Level: 3000

Peter rushes to catch May and Happy as the ground crumbles beneath them. He can’t seem to get any closer, no matter how fast he runs. They plummet to whatever is below them. Peter can hear May’s screams fade as she falls. He whips his head around at another scream.

“MJ?”

She stands a few feet away with Ned. 

“Peter? What’s going on?” Ned asks.

Suddenly a huge black hole swallows them up.

“No!” He lunges for where they were a few seconds ago.

He falls down, down, until he hits a glass surface. He groans in pain and stays laying on his stomach. Everything is quiet for a few moments. Then a small voice interrupts the silence. 

“Peter?”

Peter lifts up his head in horror. A terrified little girl with brown hair and big brown eyes stands in a snow globe. She looks just like her father.

“Morgan?”

“Peter!” she screams as the snow globe explodes. Morgan disappears. 

“Morgan! Morgan no! No!” Peter sobs.

A hand touches his shoulder.

“Peter,” says a stern voice. It belongs to Tony Stark.

“Mr. Stark, I’m so sorry. I messed up.”

But when Peter turns around to look, it’s not Mr. Stark staring down at him. It’s Mysterio. 

“Peter!”

“No! Leave me alone!”

“Peter wake up!” Aunt May pleads.

May?

Peter’s eyes flash open and he darts up, gasping. May is looking down at him. Ned, MJ, and Happy are there too. 

“Peter, baby, it’s me.”

“No! No you’re not – you’re not real!” He covers his ears and mutters, “Mm-mm. Not real, not real, not real.”

“Honey, what are you talking about? Of course I’m-” May is cut off by Happy putting his hand on her shoulder. 

“Don’t worry. I got this.”

He steps closer and gently pulls the teen’s hands off of his ears. Peter doesn’t resist. He’s shaking so badly that Happy has to stop himself from pulling him into a hug to still him.

“Peter, remember when I tried to say a Star Wars quote, but I got it so incredibly wrong – and you were filming, so when you showed it to Tony, he laughed so hard he spilled his champagne all over his pants? And then he made it his ringtone for me?”

Peter closes his eyes and laughs a little.

“Yeah. I remember.” He looks at Ned, then MJ. “So you guys are real?”

May answers by giving him a huge hug, and Ned and MJ join in.

“Yeah buddy. We’re real.” Happy says.

“The police finally let us see you,” May starts. “When we came in, you were sleeping against the wall. We didn’t want to wake you up, but then you started screaming and shaking. We finally got you awake but…”

Peter just now notices the sweat dripping down his face and his heavy breathing.

MJ speaks up. “Peter, what did they do to you?”

Peter’s mind goes back to the images of everyone he loves dying. May, Happy, Ned, MJ, Morgan. 

“Nothing. I just had a nightmare, that’s all.”

“Dude, are you ok?” Ned asks.

“Yeah! Of course. Well, besides the whole being framed for terrorism thing. Are you guys ok? What happened?”

“They just took me straight here after the whole unmasking thing. Then they interviewed me.” MJ says.

“I saw the whole thing on TV at my house. A few hours later some cop cars pulled up and said I needed to come in for interviewing too. You should’ve seen the look on my mom’s face when they showed up! She thought I was getting arrested or some crazy-” Ned stops at the sight of Peter’s worried face. “Yeah, so they took me here and interviewed me too.”

“As soon as the notification popped up on my phone, I drove to pick up your aunt from work. Then we both came here. Turns out they had been looking for your aunt to interview anyway, so uh, that got done.” Happy finishes. 

Peter stands up and looks at the only family he has left. 

“I’m so sorry you guys had to go through this. I should’ve never been so stupid and given Beck those frickin’ glasses! Now everyone that I know is in danger. Let’s be honest with ourselves, I deserve this. They should lock me up forever and-”

“PETER!!!” the four yell at the same time, scaring Peter.

“What the heck are you talking about??? Beck tricked you into thinking he was your _friend,_ then tried to _kill_ you, then tried to kill half of London and blame _you_ for it!” MJ rants 

May continues it. “Honey, this is not your fault. If you think for a minute that you deserve this, any of this, then I’m going to find a way to drag Beck out of Hell and punch him in the face, because he obviously took your sanity away!”

Ned joins. “Yeah dude. Are you sure you’re ok? Cause you don’t sound too good to me.”

“I’m doing my best to get you out of here, kid, but the officers won’t listen to me. So my idea is that you’ll only have to stay here one night, and then Pepper will be here to get you out.” Happy explains.

Peter breathes out a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, Happy. Do you really think she’ll be able to do it?”

“Do not underestimate Pepper Stark’s negotiating skills.” Happy assures him.

For the next fifteen minutes the five talk. Then all too soon a guard is telling them time’s up. Everyone takes turns hugging Peter. MJ is last. 

“Here dork,” she whispers. “I got you some food.”

He gasps happily as she hands him a few granola bars. She can’t help but giggle at his cuteness. He really didn’t deserve this…any of it.

“Later loser.” 

She kisses him on the cheek, then walks out.

Again Peter is all alone in the room, too afraid to go to sleep, and too exhausted to stay awake.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So, as you can see, Peter is not very emotionally stable. This chapter is very short (I apologize), but none of you have said anything, so I'll keep them at this length. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read my fics, it means a lot to me. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	5. INJECTION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Peter finally leave? No, but he can do another interview:)))))) (bad cop edition)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the beginning of this chapter begins to shed some light on Peter and Pepper's relationship. You can't convince me that they didn't spend time together in between Spider-man Homecoming and Infinity War. Of course Peter is definitely May's boy, but Pepper is also like the mom he never had. Enjoy the story!

Peter wakes up the next morning at the sound of the big door sliding open. A tall woman with strawberry blonde hair and freckles walks in. She’s wearing a blue blouse, black pencil skirt, and silver high heels.

“Mrs. Stark!” Peter says happily, but it comes out as a mumble since he’s still half asleep.  
He stands up and smooths out his black t-shirt, which he had been given along with some jeans when the police took his suit. Regardless of how much he must stink, Pepper gives him a hug.

“Hey Peter,” she says softly. “How did you sleep?”

“Ok. It’s not the most comfortable place to sleep, but I’ve slept in worse.”

“How were the nightmares?” Before Peter can ask, Pepper adds, “May told me.”

He thinks. “They weren’t as bad. Just seemed to drag on forever. I think yesterday’s were the worst. Because of all the…stress.” He didn’t tell Pepper that yesterday’s included him watching her own daughter explode into a million pieces.

Pepper nods. “Y’know, Tony used to have nightmares all the time.”

“Really?”

“Yep. And panic attacks. He used to talk about terrible flashbacks from the battle of New York, stuff that Ultron told him, and – not that he would’ve told anybody this – but during the Blip, he used to freak out sometimes when he saw a picture of you.”

“He did?”

“Yeah.”

Pepper looks in adoration at Tony’s son – her son.

“You’re so strong to be going through all of this at such a young age. Tony would be so proud.”

Peter smiles, and Pepper remembers why she’s here.

“But I didn’t come here to make you sad, although I do have some bad news.”

Peter’s smile drops.

“What is it?”

“I came to an agreement that they will release you into my custody, eventually. There will still be a trial, but I already have my lawyers working on that. All they want is one more interview, because they think you’re hiding something or whatever. As soon as that’s over, Happy and I will pick you up and take you to the lake house. May and your friends are already there. Once we arrive, we’ll figure out the rest. Does that sound good?”

“Yeah. That sounds perfect. Thank you so much Mrs. Stark, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all you do for May and me.”

“No thank you Peter.” She tilts his chin up so he’s looking straight at her. “You have no idea how much you meant to Tony and me those two years that all three of us could be together. And those five years you were gone…you were still changing our lives.”

Pepper remembers how Tony refused to help the Avengers attempt to bring back all the Snap victims until later that day when he had announced to Pepper he had figured out how to do just that. The next day before leaving for the Avengers Compound, he had admitted to her that it was the kid who drove him to do it. 

_“I know we have a perfect life, and I know we’re supposed to have moved on, but gosh – I miss him so much!”_ Tony had told her. 

Pepper decides not to tell that all to the kid now. It was a good story, for another time. 

Pepper ruffles Peter’s hair. 

“Good luck on the interview.” 

She turns around and walks away. 

“We’ll be back soon,” she says without looking behind her. “Oh, and Morgan can’t wait to see you.”

The door opens, then closes once Pepper Stark has left.

_Ok,_ Peter thinks to himself. _I just have to survive the interview._

~

Sometime later, a small (but still scary looking) woman comes in holding a case. Peter gets a little nervous. 

“Are you here to interview me?”

“No questions.”

She puts down the case and opens it. Inside sits one vial of purplish looking liquid, and one syringe.

“Wait, you’re not gonna…”

The woman says nothing and fills the syringe. Once she’s done, she turns to Peter. 

“Stick your arm out.”

Peter backs up.

“Whoa! What the heck is that thing even?”

“No questions! Stick your arm out now.” 

Peter looks from the woman’s face and back again a few times.

“Ok ok.”

He couldn’t believe he was letting her, but if he wanted to get out, he had to cooperate. Plus, not that he had ever told anyone this, but he was a little skittish around needles, or anything that pierced his skin, ever since the spider bite. He puts his arm out, and the woman injects the liquid into him.  
  
He winces, but five seconds later, he’s clutching his head. 

“Ohhh,” he groans.

He’s extremely dizzy all of a sudden. He barely notices the woman grab the case and leave as his knees give out. The lights go out, something that hasn’t happened in this room since he got here. Out of no where, a spotlight turns on, illuminating a single man standing in the center of the room. At first Peter thinks it might be Mysterio, here to torture him with more illusions, but no, it’s just another officer. 

The interview has begun.

_But why did they give me that shot? And why is it making me feel so bad?_

Guess he was about to find out.

“Peter Parker. I have been informed that you decided to withhold information from Dr. Claudia Shepherd. Is this true?” the man asks. 

He doesn’t state his name or profession (although it’s obvious he’s some sort of cop), giving Peter the idea that he may be trying to scare him into answering the questions. If that’s the case, it’s working.

Peter thinks back to yesterday. The doctor had asked what Mysterio had shown him, but Peter hadn’t wanted to answer.

“Yes sir.” 

“I see,” the cop continues. “Now I’m going to ask you this one time. What did Mysterio, also known as Quentin Beck, show you in this illusion you claim he forced on you?”

Peter doesn’t want to tell him, but something in that shot he was given is making him do it anyway.

“He – he showed me Mr. Fury first. Nick Fury. He- he pretended to be him.” 

No no no! Peter did not want to tell this man anything. But he had no choice. 

“He picked me up in a car and-and took me to a building in Berlin. I thought I was talking to Mr. Fury, though, so I showed him the tech that I found. Then everything in the building disappeared and Mr. Fury was shot. Or that’s what I thought, because I found out later that it was never Mr. Fury. Oh wait, I already told you that.” Now that he had started talking, Peter couldn’t seem to stop. “M-mysterio showed me a bunch of different stuff, like me in my different suits getting beat up, usually by him. Killed my girlfriend. H-had an Iron Man zombie with Black Widow spiders on it chase me. Crushed me with a s-statue. Trapped me in a snow globe. Yeah, try explaining _that_ fear to someone. In the end, Mr. Fury came and shot him so the illusions stopped. Then he asked me who I told about Mysterio’s real plan. I gave him the names, and then I realized it wasn’t Mr. Fury, it was still Mysterio. Now that I had told him the people he needed to kill, he didn’t need me anymore, so he pushed me onto a train track. That’s when the train hit me.”  
Peter stopped, hoping this was enough. He hated talking about this.

Of course it wasn’t.

“Fill me in on what happened between where you left off and around the time Quentin Beck recorded the video accusing you of terrorism.”

Peter takes a deep breath.

“Ok. Um, I survived getting hit by the train, obviously. I managed to climb into it, and then I passed out. I woke up in a jail cell in the Netherlands, amazingly. Then I, and I swear I’ve never done this before and hopefully I won’t have to again, but I broke out of it and escaped into the town. I borrowed some guy’s phone and called Happy Hogan, head of security in Stark Industries and also my aunt’s boyfriend. He picked me up in his jet. He had the materials to make a new suit on the jet, so that’s what I did. We flew to London, where my friends were and also where Mysterio was going to launch his attack with the drones which were controlled by the E.D.I.T.H program in the sunglasses Mr. Stark gave me. I fried a bunch of his drones with my taser webs, and then I found him in the middle of the monster. He tried to trick me with his illusions again, but I used my spider sense this time and I got passed the illusions. He got shot by one of the drones and started to bleed out on the ground. He started to hand me the glasses, but luckily I realized it was all still an illusion right before the real Mysterio shot me in the head. I grabbed his arm and twisted it so he dropped the gun. I guess he was still wounded, because he died anyway. I don’t know when he could’ve taken that video, but I can tell you it was heavily edited, or completely made up with his illusion tech, because I swear I never said any of that. And I did not send the drones to London and I did not kill Mysterio, please sir, I'd never do that.”

The cop squints at Peter in the dark, but he looks like he might believe him.

“I only have one more question. Where are the E.D.I.T.H. glasses now?”

_No, nonononononononono. I can’t answer this. I can’t. Those glasses are my responsibility._

Peter stays silent. 

“Where are the glasses Mr. Parker?”

Peter tries to hold it in, but the shot is doing it’s best to get it out of him.

“No! No sir, I can’t tell you that!”

“Peter Parker, tell me where those glasses are!”

The man takes a step forward, and Peter falls back. He has a massive headache now, and his stomach is churning. 

“At my apartment! In my sock drawer, in the black socks that I never wear!”

Peter collapses completely to the ground. He can’t believe he just told the man that information. He can see the Iron Man zombie clawing at him as if it is here in the room with him right now. He knows Tony would be so disappointed. 

“Thank you, Mr. Parker. That is all I needed to know.” With that, the spotlight goes out and the man disappears.

Now that he’s not talking anymore, the shot is taking full effect. Peter curls up into a ball, bringing his knees to his chest.

He takes deep breaths and lays there in the dark, waiting for the next bad thing to hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So Peter is left in yet another dire situation (I know, NOBODY will let this boi catch a break). Not to worry, starting with the next chapter, they will become gradually happier. But you know me by now, always gotta get that angst in there! Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	6. PLAN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter FINALLY gets out of jail. But is he free...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> So some people in the comments were a little confused about the last chapter. I just want to make it clear that I don't know how the government would treat an enhanced individual post Blip. Also, that was NOT Mysterio in the interrogation. This chapter is starting the happier side of the story, obviously there will always be angst, but I actually included some Spideychelle fluff. Enjoy!

“Peeee-terrrr!” sings a voice.

It’s Morgan. She runs in as soon as the door slides open. Happy and Pepper are right at her tail.

“Peter? Where are you?”

Then she spots him, curled up in the corner.

Concern fills her voice. “Peter, what’s wrong?”

She runs to his side, and Happy is quick to follow. Peter lets out a moan and coughs.

“I’m fine Morgan,” he says and manages to smile so his little sister doesn’t worry.

To Happy he says, “They gave me a shot before the interview. It made me tell them where – where E.D.I.T.H. is.”

Happy turns to Pepper. “He’s been drugged.” He turns back to Peter. “Don’t you worry about E.D.I.T.H. kid. We need to get you to the house before anyone else can hurt you.”

Peter can sense the anger in Happy’s voice, and he can hear Pepper’s “Oh my gosh! You’ve got to be kidding me, he’s a kid!” as she click-clacks away in her 3-inch heels, probably to go chew out an officer.

“Who hurt you, Peter?” Morgan asks as she balls her tiny hands into fists.

“No one hurt me, Morgan. Happy, you can tell Mrs. Stark that they were just doing their job,” Peter says weakly and coughs again.

He’s so thankful to have a family that cares so much for him, even if he messed up all the time. Speaking of mess ups…

“It’s my fault with the glasses. I should’ve tried harder to keep the location to myself. I’m sorry Happy.”

“I don’t want you to say another word about those glasses. They’re safe, ok? And if you say sorry one more time I swear I’m gonna…do something.”

With this Happy lifts Peter into his arms. Morgan laughs, impressed. Peter is more frightened than impressed.

“What the heck Happy!?”

“What? You can lift me, why can’t I lift you?”

“Because I have superpowers! And I must way like two hundred pounds!”

“Oh come on Pete. We both know you’re not that big, no matter what you tell yourself. Let’s go Morgan, we need to get Peter to the car.”

Peter can see Happy’s face already turning a little red as walks to the car outside, Morgan running in front of them.

~

“It’s called truth serum,” Pepper announces later in the car.

Happy is driving, Pepper is in the passenger's seat (only because Peter insisted that she didn’t need to sit with him, he was fine) and Peter and Morgan sit in the back. Peter lays his head on Morgan’s lap so she can play with his hair, like she asked.

“It was discovered by Scott and Hope Van Dyne, or as you know them, Ant-man and the Wasp, a few weeks before the Snap, while they were fighting some illegal weapons dealer or something.

They immediately turned it over to authorities who now use it regularly for interrogation. Well, they’re not supposed to use it on minors, but I guess they thought it was okay for you because you’re an enhanced individual or whatever. And it’s supposed to be harmless but…”

She turns around to look at Peter, who still clutches his stomach, but seems to be doing better.

“I don’t know what made you sick. Maybe it was your powers. Like your spider sense.”

Peter closes his eyes and nods.

“Probably. And I feel fine now Mrs. Stark. You didn’t have to go find out for me, but thank you anyway.”

“You’re welcome Peter.”

Morgan doesn’t like being ignored this long.

“Pe-ter! Aren’t you glad to see me?” she asks.

Peter manages to sit up so he can hug her.

“Of course I am! But actually, what are you doing here? I thought just you guys were coming.” Peter directs that last part to Happy and Pepper.

“It was just gonna be us, but Squirt over here had to see her big brother.”

Happy sounds exasperated, but Peter can see he’s smiling. Morgan smiles back, proudly.

“Mommy said you were in trouble, so I came to save you!”

She squeezes Peter tightly, and he strokes her hair.

“Good job. I am saved.”

The rest of the trip goes by quickly, with Happy driving, Pepper looking at her schedule on her Ipad, and Peter listening to Morgan ramble on and on about her week. Soon, they arrive at the lake house, where May is already waiting for them outside. The hour that Pepper said it would take for the truth serum to wear off has passed, so as soon as Happy parks the car, Peter throws open the door and runs into May’s open arms.

“May!”

“Peter, baby!”

He picks her up and squeezes her, but remembers his super strength and stops before he crushes some of her ribs.

“Peter! Are you ok? Happy texted and said something about drugs and stuff and oh my gosh Peter I was so worried!”

“May I’m fine. It was nothing that-”

“Peter!” a different voice shrieks.

“MJ!”

She runs out the front door and practically jumps into Peter’s arms. Ned is following close behind. The two plus May recreate the group hug that they had given him in the jail cell.

“Are you ok?” Ned asks after letting go.

May has also taken a step back, but MJ still clings to Peter, like she’s afraid to lose him again.

Peter clings back, afraid to be taken away.

“Yeah dude. I’m fine. They just gave me this serum for the interview.” Peter shrugs. “It’s standard procedure.”

“Well whatever it was, it made him _really_ sick.”

Everyone looks down to the spot where the voice came from. Little Morgan smiles up at them.

“He couldn’t even walk to the car! Happy had to-”

Peter lets go of MJ so he can swing Morgan onto his shoulders before she gets May really worried with the details.

“I wasn’t that sick. Just a stomachache and some dizziness. Oh and my whole body kind of hurt…and I had a headache.”

He looks at his aunt, girlfriend, and best friend’s worried expressions.

“I’m fine now though!” he reassures them.

At this moment, Happy and Pepper walk up to the group.

“How about we all go inside?” Pepper suggests, and everybody agrees.

~

Soon everybody is sitting in the living room, waiting for Pepper to explain the plan. May and Happy are sitting together on the love seat, laughing at some story May is telling. Peter, MJ, and Ned squeeze together on one part of the sectional, not because there is no where else to sit, but because this is how they are used to sitting, whether it’s on Ned’s twin bed when they’re doing homework at his house, or Peter’s small couch when they’re watching TV in his apartment, or the single bench when they’re hanging out at MJ’s favorite park. Pepper sit’s in what used to be her husband’s favorite chair, holding Morgan on her lap and checking some things on her phone. Finally, she puts her phone away and faces the group in front of her. Everyone stops talking and looks at her. She jumps right in.

“First thing’s first. Peter’s going to be tried at two different court sessions. One in Washington D.C. because he’s an American citizen, and one in London because that’s where the incident happened.”

Peter looks down. MJ grabs his hand and squeezes it. He smiles at her gratefully.

Pepper continues. “So here’s the plan. Tonight, Happy and I are going to be calling every Avenger we can get in contact with. They will testify on your behalf – well, more on Spider-man’s behalf, since most of them don’t know Peter Parker.”

The three teens stare at Pepper, mouths hanging open.

“They would do that? For Peter?” Ned asks in amazement.

“Of course,” Pepper answers. “He is an Avenger, after all.”

Pepper remembers Tony telling her the story of when he told Peter he was officially an Avenger. It was two years after the Snap, and Tony had just started talking about that day when it all went wrong.

_“You should’ve seen his face, Pep. He was so happy…”_

Pepper wanted to keep him that way. Happy.

It was pretty hard to do when the kid was being accused of terrorism.

“Anyway, I’ll need to get in contact with everyone who went on that school trip, Peter, since they’re the closest things we have to eyewitnesses. Ned and MJ, you two will have to call your parents, since you’ll be staying with us for a few weeks. Of course they are welcome to stay here as well. Ummmm, hopefully Peter’s cleared of all charges after this, I have my best lawyers coming to meet you here tomorrow, Peter. We may have to do some press conferences after you’re cleared. Actually, we definitely will. You’re identity has been revealed to the world, we need to properly introduce it to the newest member of the Avengers.”

As soon as she finishes saying Avengers, Pepper’s phone rings. She picks it up and looks at it.

“Sorry, I need to take this. And I’m finished, so you can do whatever you want.”

With this, Pepper gently puts Morgan on the floor and goes into another room to answer her call. Happy leads May outside, Ned goes to call his parents, and Morgan climbs into Peter’s lap.

“So I’m guessing you’ve met Miss Stark already?” Peter asks MJ as he wraps his arms around his little sister.

“Yes,” MJ laughs. “She gave us a tour. Then she got bored and showed us some super secret videos on her dad’s old laptop.” MJ reaches over to tickle Morgan’s bare feet. Morgan giggles.

“What were they of?” Peter asks with a smile on his face.

MJ looks at him hesitantly. “You.” She can see the pain enter his eyes as his smile falters.

Peter looks down at Morgan. “Your daddy had videos of me?”

“Of course silly,” Morgan says as if it’s obvious. “He used to play them all the time. That’s how I found out you were my brother!” She looks up at him, confused. “I thought I told you that already.”

“No. No you didn’t,” Peter says, smiling sadly.

“Oh well. You know now!” Morgan jumps out of Peter’s lap and runs to Ned.

MJ pulls Peter into a hug.

“You good?”

“Yeah.”

They sit there for a few minutes, just holding each other. Then Pepper walks in, apparently done with her call. Peter and MJ pull away from each other awkwardly.

“Who was that? I-If you don’t mind me asking,” Peter says to fill the silence.

“No, you’re fine Peter. That was Secretary Thaddeus Ross. He’s the man who introduced those terrible Accords.” Pepper sounds like she’s holding back tears.

“He wants you in his custody. Immediately.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So first off, I want to explain that by this time, Scott and Hope are DEFINITELY married. And Scott DEFINITELY took Hope's last name. Second, I'm not going to mention what happened to E.D.I.T.H. for a few chapters. Last, if you caught that Tony Stark quote, good job! Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	7. MOMENT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and MJ react to the bad news. (FLUFF!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very short chapter, but it's all Spideychelle fluff (+angst). Enjoy!

MJ’s hand goes up to her mouth. Pepper puts her head in her hands. Peter mumbles something under his breath over and over again. MJ gets over her initial shock and remembers Peter. She sees his pale face and places her hand on his back in attempt to comfort him, but as soon as she makes contact, he jerks away. His eyes are wide with panic, but he seems to be far away. 

“Sorry,” he mutters. Then he stands up from the couch. “I-I have to go.”

Peter stumbles out of the house, accidently knocking over a couple of picture frames and a toy of Morgan’s. As soon as he gets outside, he breaks into a run. He heads straight for the woods, smacking his head on tree branches and tripping over roots. He skids to a stop right before falling into the lake. He drops into a crouch and runs his hands through his hair, trying to calm himself down.

When Pepper told him the news, it seemed as if he couldn’t breathe all of a sudden. He felt exposed, like the whole world could see him, but almost claustrophobic at the same time. The trees provided perfect cover while still letting him breathe fresh air. Peter rocks back and forth as he tries to clear his mind with the beautiful landscape in front of him. He’s so focused on the problem at hand that even his spider senses don’t warn him of the person quietly approaching. Peter jumps up at the touch of a hand on his shoulder. 

“Peter?”

It’s MJ.

“Oh. Hey MJ. Sorry about that back there. I just really needed-” Peter pauses to take another deep breath. “To get out.”

“It’s fine, Peter. More importantly, are you ok?”

“Can I be honest?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“No. I’m not ok. I feel like I-I can’t breathe and-and the whole world is watching me, just waiting for me to-to mess up again – which I will because I always do – and-and when I do they’ll come for me because-”

“Peter, Peter calm down. Nobody’s watching you, it’s just you and me.”

MJ hugs him tightly, and Peter buries his head in her neck.

“MJ, I felt like, after the whole London accident, things might actually be turning around.” Peter’s voice is muffled by MJ’s shirt. “School was finally out, I was getting used to the five year jump, I had a girlfriend.”  
Peter lifts his head up to look at her. MJ sees a flash of his tear streaked face before he wipes it all away with his sleeve. She can tell he’s trying desperately to be strong in this situation, but he’s shaking violently and biting on his lip so hard that it looks like it might start bleeding any minute.

“S-Sorry. This is stupid,” Peter manages to get out.

“No Peter! It’s not stupid,” MJ retorts. “But…”

“But what?”

“Well, it’s just that, you’re shaking really bad, and, and you’re kind of scaring me, Peter.”

Peter looks at himself and notices the physical effects of the bad news on his body.

“MJ, what’s wrong with me?”

MJ tries to remember if she’s read of any of these symptoms before, maybe in one of her books. 

“Well, I think maybe you had some kind of panic attack, in the cabin. But it seems to be going away now.”

“A-a panic attack?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be that surprising. I mean, if you think about all you’ve been through.”

Peter calms down a little. He remembers Pepper telling him that Tony used to have panic attacks too.

“Oh, well I guess if that’s all, then um, I guess I should be heading back. I want to apologize to Mrs. Stark. You know, for running out like that and making a big mess.”

Peter turns to go, but is stopped by MJ grabbing his hand. She quickly drops it when Peter looks at her.

“Why don’t we just, uh…” She shifts uncomfortably. “Why don’t we just stay here for a little bit?”

He manages a small smile.

“Ok.”

The two sit in the dirt. They find each other’s hand and hold on tight, but don’t make eye contact. Instead, they stare at the sun as it sets behind the lake, transforming the once crystal blue water into ripples of orange and red. It’s a lake of fire, reminding Peter much of his own life presently.

But now, here in the woods, with just nature and the most beautiful girl he’s ever met, Peter forgets all of his problems and enjoys the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! Sorry for the really short chapter. I'm more of an action writer, not very good at romance. And the only thing I know about panic attacks is what I remember from Iron Man 3 and when my friends have them. Sorry if I got anything wrong, I don't mean to offend anyone. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	8. SURPRISE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter spends a little time at the Stark cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about Peter's relationship with his family. There's obviously a little angst, but it's mainly sweet. Enjoy!

That night Peter, MJ, Ned, May, Happy, Pepper, and Morgan sit at the huge dining table, enjoying the equally huge meal and chatting about random things.

No one mentions Ross.

Peter knows that they know. MJ had said when everyone had seen him freaking out, they had asked Pepper what was wrong, and she had told them. Well, whatever the reason was, Peter was glad that they didn’t mention it, because for all he knows it might trigger another panic attack. He’ll ask Happy about it later, when he’s sure he’s calmed down enough. For the time being, he enjoys his second serving of steak and mashed potatoes.

~

After Ned, MJ, and he finish watching a movie with Morgan and put her to bed, Peter walks over to Happy’s room and gently knocks on the door. Like Peter, Happy has his own room in the Stark household. Unlike Peter, Happy get’s it to himself tonight, while Peter has to share his with Ned for the next few days, because Ned’s parents agreed to let him stay as long as he needs. Happy opens the door, smiling. His smile quickly turns into his usual frown when he actually sees Peter.

“Oh, Peter. It’s just you.”

Peter looks confused, then smiles knowingly.

“You were hoping for May?”

“N-no. It’s just, well, you know,” Happy stammers.

Peter holds up his hand, laughing. “I get it. I’ll tell her to come over later.” He winks, then takes a more serious tone. “I actually came to ask about the whole Ross thing.”

Happy nods thoughtfully and leans against the door frame.

“What do you want to know?”

“Well, what is he going to do to me Happy?” Peter says in a low voice. “Is he going to come after me? And if so, you guys are in danger too. I don’t want to get Mrs. Stark and Morgan in trouble, after all they’ve been through.”

Happy smirks. He can never get over the fact that the kid always thinks about other people. He could have a gun pointed at his head and he’d be worried about the mess someone would have to clean up if he actually got shot.

“Well,” Happy starts. “I don’t know a whole lot about the accords, or if they even still apply. My guess is that Ross can’t legally do anything until you’re tried, no matter how much he may want to. This location is hidden from the public, so we’re all safe for now.”

He hugs Peter. The kid may have super strength, but he always seems fragile to Happy. Peter hugs him back.

“Thanks Happy.”

“Anytime bud. Main thing is: don’t worry, and get some sleep.” He grabs the door. “You have a big day tomorrow!”

Before Peter can ask, Happy closes his door.

Why would I have a big day tomorrow? he wonders as he walks to the room May and MJ are sharing. He knocks on the door and forgets everything he was thinking about when May opens it and he sees MJ sitting on the bed. She’s wearing an oversized t-shirt and pajama pants with her hair braided down her back, a hairstyle he’s never seen on her before.

She’s beautiful.

Peter doesn’t speak so MJ does.

“Sup loser. What part of girl’s room did you not understand?”

Peter stumbles over his words. “Oh, um, I just- I just came to talk- tell May goodnight.”

He worries that he’s intruding on MJ’s privacy, but then realizes that she’s smiling.

“I’m messing with you!” she laughs. As she gets under the covers, he can hear her mumble, “You need to stop taking things so seriously, Parker.”

Peter keeps standing there, so May cuts in.

“So! Peter, what was it that you needed?”

Peter shakes his head as if he’s escaping a daze. He focuses on May.

“Oh, uh, just wanted to say good night.” He kisses May on the cheek. “Good night!”

“Good night baby.”

“Good night MJ!”

“Night dork.”

May closes the door and Peter heads to his own room. Ned is waiting for him.

“So,” he says. “Who gets the bed?”

~

The next day is pretty uneventful. Peter gets to meet Pepper’s lawyers, who seem to know what they’re doing, so that makes him feel a bit better. Pepper calls his school to make arrangements for the court sessions. She makes a few other calls, but Peter doesn’t catch who they’re to. He helps around the house, hangs out with Ned, spends some time with MJ.

At about five, Morgan announces she’s taking Peter to her most favorite place in the world. The two head into the woods, and Morgan leads him to a big tree. Sitting on top of the tree is a small tree house. It’s painted army green to camouflage with the tree and has a small balcony. There’s a rope ladder swinging from the edge of the deck.

“Oh Morgan,” Peter breathes. “Did your daddy build this?”

Morgan sticks her bottom lip out. “Yeah, but I helped!”

Peter laughs and swings her onto the ladder. She climbs up quickly and Peter follows. She hesitates before opening the door.

“Me and my daddy used to come up here and play.” Her little feet shuffle awkwardly. “Now I come here to watch the videos he left me.”

Peter’s heart breaks for the little girl. He knows what it’s like to lose a father at such a young age.

She looks up at him.

“He left some for you too! Do you wanna watch them?”

Peter doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t really want to watch them, because he knows he’ll cry, and he doesn’t want Morgan to see him crying, but at the same time he doesn’t want to upset Morgan, so he says, “Sure.”

Morgan smiles and opens the door to reveal a room that looks nothing like the outside of the house. The walls are bright blue and purple, the carpet is lime green, and the hexagonal shelves are a vivid pink and orange.

“Whoa,” Peter whispers.

Then he jumps at a voice that does not belong to Morgan begins to speak.

“Good afternoon, Miss Stark. It’s nice to see you again, Peter.”

The voice is female and has a suspiciously thick Irish accent.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

Peter is unable to hide the grin on his face. He thought the AI had been fried when Tony snapped his fingers.

Apparently not.

“Hey FRI,” Morgan says casually. She turns to Peter. “Mommy doesn’t like so much technology in the house. So when Daddy built the treehouse for me, he installed F.R.I.D.A.Y.” She smiles mischievously. “Mommy still doesn’t know.”

Peter sits criss cross on the carpet while Morgan picks up Tony’s old Iron Man helmet. She plops down next to Peter and places it in between them. Even though she’s only six, she’s smart enough to know how to work the helmet. It projects a blue hologram of Tony, and the video starts. Peter grabs Morgan’s hand for support and braces himself.

~

“So, all that to say, you are not allowed to wear any of my suits until you are 21. I know Rhodey technically inherited all of them, but I talked to him about giving you a few when you’re old enough. And the same thing goes for Morgan. It’ll be more of a temptation for her than for you.” Hologram Tony sits in a chair and gives a gentle smile. “Take care of her Pete. Make sure she doesn’t grow up to be like me. She has so much potential…and so do you. Have a great life kid, and remember that I love you.”

With that, Tony disappears and the recording stops. Morgan is now sitting on Peter’s lap, and the two both have tears streaming down their faces. Peter hugs Morgan and wipes the tears from her face. She does the same to him.

That was the fifth video they had seen in the last two and a half hours.

It’s time to head back.

As if reading his mind, F.R.I.D.A.Y. says, “It’s getting dark outside. You two should start making your way back to the house.”

Peter nods and picks up a still teary Morgan. She wraps her arms around his neck and rests her little head on his shoulder. He tip toes out of the house and onto the balcony. Instead of taking the time to go down the ladder, he adjusts his grip on Morgan and jumps to the ground. After making sure she’s ok, he walks back to the house quickly. Once they’ve arrived, he sets Morgan down on the porch. She is no longer crying, to Peter’s relief, and runs to the door. Peter laughs but doesn’t make an effort to catch up. Morgan goes inside and closes the door before Peter can come in.

“Rude,” he whispers, but he’s smiling.

When he gets inside, all the lights are off and Morgan is nowhere to be found.

“Morgan?”

No answer. He cautiously walks to the kitchen.

“Mrs. Stark? Happy?”

There’s no answer from the kitchen, and he can barely see anything now that it’s dark outside. He turns on the light and runs to the living room, now worried.

“May! MJ! Ned!”

He reaches the living room and switches the light on.

A bunch of people scream, “SURPRISE!!!!!”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So I kind of explained how the Stark family has been putting up with the events of Endgame in this chapter. Happy definitely has a room; Morgan definitely has a secret treehouse with F.R.I.D.A.Y.; Rhodey definitely inherited all of Tony's suits. I hope you liked it, and stick around for the next chapter to see what the surprise is! Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	9. PARTY PART 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter actually enjoys himself (for once)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is actually....fun? My friend decided to make Peter happy, but warning: DON'T GET USED TO IT. Enjoy it while it lasts.

“Holy crap!”

Peter is so surprised that he instinctively jumps on to the ceiling. Then he looks at the room. It’s decorated with streamers and balloons. There’s a cake in the corner of the room surrounded by trays and trays of food that smell so good it makes Peter’s mouth water. But that’s not the most amazing thing.

No, the most amazing thing is the people in the room. Almost every single Avenger is staring up at him. Peter lowers himself from the ceiling in awe. Then he laughs nervously.

“You guys are the- uh hi, I-I’m Peter,” Peter says to no one in particular.

He can hear suppressed laughs and whispers from the back of the room about ‘how cute he is’ or ‘how much he resembles Tony’. It’s a little embarrassing, but it’s better than the whispers he heard in Times Square.

May, MJ, and Ned emerge from the small crowd. May gives him a hug.

“Aw, honey. We didn’t mean to scare you.” She has a huge smile on her face. “But do you like the surprise?”

Peter looks at the Avengers. They don’t have their full attention on him anymore, and are instead chatting with each other.

“Yeah guys! I love it, but…”

MJ smirks.

“But what Peter?” she asks.

“Well, I knew Mrs. Stark was getting the Avengers together but, uh, why is the room decorated like this? And why is there like, a cake?”

Ned laughs. “Dude! It’s your birthday, remember?”

Peter is shocked. It’s not his birthday, is it? Surely he would’ve remembered. What day was it? Peter thinks.

_It’s the tenth of August._

He gasps. “It is my birthday! Oh my goodness, I completely forgot!”

Peter hears a laugh from somewhere in the room.

“Gosh, he’s just like Tony, isn’t he?” says the person who laughed.

“Just like him,” replies another voice.

Rhodey makes his way towards Peter and his family. He holds Morgan, who’s clinging to her godfather and giggling. Behind Rhodey is the famous archer and Avenger, Clint Barton, followed by his own family.

“Hey kid,” says Rhodey ruffling Peter’s hair. The two had known each other for a while, ever since Tony introduced them way back in 2017.

“Hey Mr. Rhodes.”

Clint steps towards Peter and offers his hand. Peter shakes it.

“Name’s Clint, but you probably know that already.” He puts an arm around his wife. “This is Laura.” He points at each of his kids, starting with the smallest. “That’s Nate, Lila, Cooper, and Wanda.”

Nate seems to be about Morgan’s age, Lila about fourteen, Cooper about Peter’s age, and Wanda about twenty-one. Wanda looks at MJ weirdly, and MJ looks back. Then they both shake their heads and focus their attention back on the party. Nobody except Peter notices the exchange of glances.

Wait, Peter knows Wanda from somewhere.

“Hold on, you’re the Scarlet Witch, aren’t you? Wanda Maximoff?” Peter asks with a huge grin on his face. He remembers watching her in the battle to defeat Thanos and thinking how awesome she was.

Wanda smiles and nods. “Yeah. Well, Wanda Barton now, but yes, I am the Scarlet Witch.”

Peter and Wanda start up a conversation while Peter’s family and Wanda’s family slowly drift back into the crowd. Peter’s sure MJ and Ned are excited to meet other Avengers.

“You were in the airport battle, right?” Peter asks. “I remember you.”

“Yes, I remember you too. You stole Steve’s shield,” she giggles. Peter laughs too. Then Wanda sighs. “I-I’m sorry for your loss. Clint told me you and Stark were close,” she says quietly. “I’m glad he and Steve got to make up, though. In the end.”

Peter feels the tears sting his eyes as he recalls the videos he watched earlier that day.

“Yeah, so am I.” Peter then remembers the other great Avenger who sacrificed themselves. “And- and I’m sorry for your loss. I-I don’t know if you and the Black Widow were close, but I know she did go on the run with you for those two years before, you know, Thanos. A-and the Vision. I- I used to hear him talk about you to Mr. Stark. And you blipped too, right? I can’t imagine what you must be going through.”

Wanda smiles gratefully and, much to Peter’s surprise, gives him a big hug. At first he’s internally screaming, because _the_ Scarlet Witch is hugging _him,_ but then relaxes and hugs her back.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

After a moment, she pulls away and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Well, I guess I better go find Clint. It was nice meeting you, Peter.”

“It was nice meeting you too Miss…Barton.”

“You can call me Wanda. I _am_ only four years older than you, after all.”

“Ok! Enjoy the party Wanda!”

She disappears into the crowd, and Peter is left standing alone. He decides to go find MJ. After looking around for a bit, he finally finds her talking to Cooper and Lila Barton outside. He can see Morgan showing Nate her teepee a few yards away. He runs up to MJ and grabs her from behind, startling her a bit.

“Oh, hey birthday boy,” she says, ditching her usual teasing names. “Thought you were chatting up the Scarlet Witch.”

“Ha-ha. Very funny.”

“So anyways, before you rudely interrupted, Cooper was telling me about his Lego Architecture kits, which I know is like, your thing.”

Peter directs his attention to the boy. “Really? That’s so cool! Which ones do you have?”

“Oh, a few different ones,” Cooper says. “I have the White House, Empire State Building, um, oh the Eiffel Tower and the London Bridge.”

MJ is the only one who notices when Peter flinches at Cooper mentioning the Eiffel Tower and London Bridge.

“Oh, don’t forget the bullet train you got that one time. That one was really cool,” adds Lila.

Peter grabs MJ’s hand, and she quickly changes the subject.

“Well, Peter’s always been into Star Wars Legos. He and Ned could build that stuff all day long.”

Suddenly, a voice interrupts their conversation.

“Did someone say Star Wars?”

The voice belongs to Scott Van Dyne, who is walking out of the house with his wife and daughter. He makes his way towards the group of teens and puts his hands on his daughter’s shoulders.

“Cause my daughter here loves Star Wars. You guys should have no problem becoming friends.”

Peter looks right past Scott’s daughter and straight at Scott.

“Whoa…you’re- you’re Ant-man,” he says in awe.

True, Peter had sort of met him when he fought him in the airport battle, and he used Scott’s giant hand to swing through the battlefield eight months earlier. But he had never met the hero in person.

Peter turns towards Scott’s wife, Hope Van Dyne. “I know you too, you're great!”

Hope nods her head, amused at the boy’s awe, but Scott looks as happy as Peter.

“Wait, you know me?” he asks in shock. “I didn’t think anybody knew Ant-man!”

“Of course I know you! I’m a big fan, too. When I was younger, I used to read books on the tale of an ant sized soldier, who was suspected to be one of my favorite scientists, Hank Pym. And then it was so cool when you got big at the airport! And I saw it on the news when you got really big in San Francisco. I was so happy that Ant-man was real,” Peter rambles.

Scott looks at Hope proudly. “See! I’m famous. Wait till I tell Bruce.” He then directs his focus on Peter again. “Um, yeah, I’ve heard a lot about Spider-man too. Obviously the only time I’ve ever seen you in action is when you tripped me in Germany…”

Peter looks embarrassed. “Oh yeah. I forgot about that. I was actually basing it off of that move from The Empire Strikes Back, you know, when-”

“Luke wraps the AT-AT up with his cable? That’s one of my favorite scenes in Star Wars! Smart thinking.” At the mention of Star Wars, Scott seems to remember his daughter. “Anyway, as I was saying, you guys should have no problem becoming friends. Except…” Scott lowers his voice to a mock whisper. “She’s a little shy.”

His daughter swats him away playfully and he laughs.

“Don’t embarrass her,” Hope says and takes her husband’s hand. “Have fun kids.”

The couple walks back inside. Scott’s daughter introduces herself.

“Hi. My name is Cassie. I’m fifteen, and no, I did not blip,” she says a little shyly, true to her father’s word.

The Bartons speak up first.

“My name is Cooper, and I’m sixteen.” He points to his sister. “This is Lila, she’s fourteen. Over there somewhere is our little brother Nate, who’s four, with Mrs. Stark’s daughter, Morgan. Our whole family blipped, except for our dad. And Morgan didn’t blip, since she was born after the Snap.”

MJ goes next. “MJ. I’m seventeen, and I blipped, along with my friend, Ned, who should be around here somewhere. He’s also seventeen.”

Peter is last. “And I’m Peter, uh, you already knew that. I’m sixteen, and I blipped as well.” MJ nudges him and he remembers that it’s his birthday. “Wait! I’m seventeen! I’m seventeen now.”

Cassie laughs. Then she tries to start a conversation.

“So, that’s so cool! You know, to be Spider-man. It must be great to be an Avenger,” she says.

“Thanks,” Peter replies. “But I’m jealous of you. Both your parents are Avengers!”

MJ, Cooper, and Lila nod.

“Yeah,” Lila agrees. “Ant-man and the Wasp are pretty cool. And I’m sure you help them out a lot.”

Cassie blushes a little. “But your dad is Hawkeye. He fought in the Battle of New York. And your sister is the Scarlet Witch. Her powers are amazing.”

Peter and MJ nod in agreement.

“Well, dad’s not that cool.” Cooper rolls his eyes and laughs. “But I guess I have to agree with you. Wanda is amazing.”

“Yeah! Especially when she helps me clean my room!” yells Nate from the teepee. He runs to his brother and sister, followed by Morgan. “She can move my toys with her mind!”

Lila grabs Nate and holds him close to her. Morgan tugs on Peter’s pant leg and he picks her up.

“Well, I think that Spider-man is the coolest Avenger!” Morgan says.

Peter smiles down at her.

“No, Scarlet Witch!” Nate argues. “What can he do?”

Lila gasps and looks down at her brother. Peter is laughing, but she scolds Nate anyway.

“Nate, do not be rude.”

“Sorry,” Nate mumbles. “But I still think Wanda is cooler.”

Morgan hugs Peter. “Well, Peter’s been to space!”

Nate’s mouth falls open. He looks at Peter.

“You have?”

Peter smiles. “Uh, yeah, one time.”

“Was it cool?”

Morgan answers before Peter can. “Uh, yeah it was. I have the video from his suit! Wanna see it?”

Nate nods, and Morgan wriggles out of Peter’s arms. The six-year old and four-year old rush into the house.

“So,” Cassie says after a few moments of awkward silence. “You like Star Wars?”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So in this chapter I highlighted on Peter's relationships with the other teens of Marvel. Some other random notes: being blipped or not being blipped has become part of normal introductions. Wanda likes to hang out with the kids because she missed out on her childhood. I may or may not be setting up the New Avengers....  
And if you caught the Civil War reference, you're amazing! Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	10. PARTY PART 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of Peter's fabulous birthday party (and could it be *gasp* the first fic without angst?!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, forgot to say in the last chapter notes, but Clint and Laura definitely adopted Wanda, since she really has no more family left (Mom, Dad, Pietro, then Vision, Nat, and Steve, all gone). Also, the chapters will not be posted every day now, since my friend has started school and there is little time to write. But for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy a non angsty fic!

An hour later, Lila, Cooper, Cassie, Peter, MJ, and Ned (who joined them a few minutes after Morgan and Nate left) are hanging out on the dock overlooking the lake, laughing loudly and telling stories about their superhero family members. Wanda has joined them and is using her powers to make cool designs with the water. Peter catches her staring at MJ a couple times, and MJ doing the same to Wanda.

He wonders what that’s all about.

The group has gone through two 2 liter bottles of Pepsi and is begging for more.

“I’m pretty sure if you drink too much of that, you’ll die,” Wanda laughs.

“That’s the point,” Lila, Cassie, and MJ say at the same time. They all laugh.

Peter volunteers to go get some more. MJ begins to protest, but he insists.

“Besides, I’ve been having so much fun, I forgot to eat,” he whispers.

Peter makes his way to the house, wondering if one of the reasons for the extravagant birthday party is to de-stress him. If so, it’s working. Peter can’t think of many times he’s enjoyed himself more.

He gets to the empty kitchen without anybody stopping him. After opening a few cabinets, he finally finds the one Pepper keeps her party drinks in. After grabbing a Coke, (since there was no more Pepsi) Peter turns to leave the kitchen, but is startled by a girl who seems to be his age. She stares at him, looking him up and down, as if she’s studying him.

“Can I help you?” Peter asks nervously.

She looks him in the eye.

“Yes. I have a question for you.”

Peter notices she has a thick African accent. He wonders who she is and where she’s from.

“Ok…”

“How do you manage to stick on walls and ceilings? When I saw the Spider-man clips, I thought it must have been you’re suit, so I figured out how to replicate it in my brother’s suit. But then I saw you on the ceiling tonight, and you definitely didn’t have the suit on. So, how did you do it?”

Peter scratches the back of his neck.

“Well, it’s kind of a long story. But basically, I got bit by a spider, and then I gained a bunch of different powers, including sticking to stuff.”

The girl looks confused.

“That’s it?”

“It was a radioactive spider. I’m not really sure about the science behind it. But it’s dead now, and I don’t think there are anymore, so sorry about that if you wanted to like, study it or whatever.” Peter suddenly has his own questions. “Wait, did you say you made a suit that can stick to walls?”

“Yes. For my brother.”

“Who’s your brother?”

“King T’challa of Wakanda, also known as the Black Panther. That’s what the suits are for.”

“Wait, your brother is King T’challa? That means you’re-”

“The princess? Yes. I’m Princess Shuri of Wakanda, but I like to be referred to as Head of Technology.”

Peter just stands for a moment, in shock. Then he points to himself.

“I-I’m Peter Parker.”

Shuri smiles. “It’s nice to meet you Peter.”

“I need to get this drink to my friends. Do you want to come?”

“Sure! The adults are so boring anyway. Most of them don’t even know the first thing about environmental biotechnology!”

“Seriously? I took a few classes on that, and I absolutely loved studying it.”

The two get some food and head to the dock. They talk as they walk.

“So how old are you? I’m seventeen, and I blipped,” Peter says.

“I am also seventeen, and I blipped as well,” Shuri answers.

They arrive at the dock, where Peter’s friends are watching Wanda do an especially cool design in the water, this time using leaves she picked up off the ground.

“Sorry, I couldn’t find any Pepsi, so here’s some Coke. I know it’s not as bad for you, but it’ll have to do,” Peter announces to get their attention. Ned grabs the bottle and Peter takes this opportunity to introduce his new friend. “But I want you to meet someone. This is Princess Shuri of Wakanda!”

~

“Hey kids! Cake time!”

The teens reluctantly look up from the video Shuri was showing them; it was of Black Panther testing his suit for the first time, set to “Mm What You Say”. Shuri said she personally edited it.

But once they see the person telling them to come inside, they immediately forget the video, mouths hanging open. Well, Shuri’s mouth isn’t hanging open. She walks up to the man that the rest of the kids idolize.

“Hello Dr. Banner. It’s nice to see you again,” she says.

“You too, Princess. Sorry I was late for the surprise part of the party. There was…traffic.” Bruce looks at the teens staring at him, and notices Lila and Cooper. “Hey, you’re Clint’s kids! Long time no see. You guys sure grew.”

The Bartons nod as they remember the time their father bought Bruce Banner to their house in 2015, along with Tony Stark, Thor, Steve Rogers, and their late aunt, Natasha Romanoff.

“Hey, have you guys seen Wanda? I haven’t seen her and I wanted to say hi,” Bruce continues.

“Uh, she went to the bathroom with Cassie,” Lila says.

Seeing Bruce’s confusion, Cooper adds, “Cassie is Mr. Van Dyne’s daughter.”

Bruce nods and the Bartons join Shuri and go inside, leaving Ned, MJ, and Peter alone with Bruce.

“You’re- you’re the…” Ned trails off.

Bruce smiles and guesses what the kid is trying to say.

“Yes, I’m the Hu-”

“Most renowned scientist of this generation!” MJ blurts out.

Peter is just as excited as his friends. “I can’t believe we finally get to meet you! I mean, I kinda met you before, but you probably don’t remember. But we’ve learned so much about your work in our science class!”

The kids begin to pepper Bruce with scientific questions and theories as they head into the house. Bruce happily answers all of them, both surprised at their knowledge and pleased with their interest. The four arrive in the living room, where everyone’s already waiting for Peter. He stands in front of the cake, surrounded by his family and friends. The whole room begins to sing “Happy Birthday”, and Peter can see Ned is recording.

Normally, a situation like this would make him claustrophobic and the loud sounds would drive his spider sense crazy. But standing here, next to his family, his close friends, his new friends, and powerful people who want to actually help him and not hurt him, he feels almost…safe.

With all of this going through his head, Peter decides to something he hasn’t done in years. As the song ends, and he leans over to blow out his candles, Peter makes a wish. He knows it’s childish, but he does it anyway.

_I hope everything turns out ok, just like this party._

As the candles flicker out, the feeling of safety he had had moments earlier leaves, and is replaced by a sick feeling that he has just jinxed himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So I just wanted to say, I've read a lot of Scarlet Witch fanfiction, and they mostly portray her as unwilling to use her powers if not in battle, due to her experience on the Raft. I'm not looking down on those people's perspectives, but personally I think Wanda has more of the rebellious type, and would use her powers even more often after the experience. If you don't agree, don't hate, just my perspective ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
Anyway, the part where Shuri says the adults don't know anything about environmental biotechnology, I don't actually know what that means, but I looked up fields of science and technology, and that was the longest one. So sorry for those environmental technologists out there reading my fic if that's not even remotely close to something Shuri or Peter would know. Lastly, the "yes, I'm the Hu- most renowned scientist of this generation!" was inspired by a Tumblr post (that I can't find) so credit to the op. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	11. CAMP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter bonds with some Avengers over anxiety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a little long, cause my friend decided to combine two. She excited for this one because she gets to introduce a new group she's been planning out. (She calls them the 'I can't sleep but I won't tell anybody about it cause I can handle it myself' club) The angst is back, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!

It’s ll:00 pm and each of the guests at Peter’s party are enjoying the three flavored, three tiered birthday cake. Morgan is still running around with Nate (probably on a sugar high), MJ and Ned are discussing the science behind the infinity stones with Bruce, Happy is flirting with May, Pepper is talking to Rhodey, and Peter is currently having a conversation with an alien named Korg.

“So you said you’re a Kronan, from a planet called Sakaar, where you were forced to be a gladiator?” Peter asks.

The rock-like creature nods. “Yep.”

“So how did you meet Thor?”

“Well, he was forced to be a gladiator, too.”

“Thor? Forced?”

“Yep. And apparently it was a dark time for him, too. He said his mum died a few years back, his father had just died, his evil sister, who escaped imprisonment from Hel when his father died, broke his favorite hammer, and he kept having this dream where his home planet was destroyed.”

“Oof.”

“Yeah. Anyway, he was still able to survive the Grandmaster’s champion – oh, the Grandmaster is the one who forced us to be gladiators – found out the Grandmaster’s champion was actually his friend from work, managed to escape with the Grandmaster’s champion and Scrapper 142, who we later found out was an Asgardian Valkyrie named Brunnhilde – we call her Valkyrie as a nickname – and sent her to deliver weapons to me and my friend Miek, so we could start a revolution in Sakaar.”

“Wait, I have a question. You said the Grandmaster’s champion was Thor’s friend from work. Did you ever find out who he was?”

“Oh, yeah I did. He’s over there, actually.”

Korg points to where Ned, MJ, and Bruce are still talking. Peter is surprised.

“Dr. Banner was the Grandmaster’s champion?” Peter asks.

Korg nods. “Yep. Though he was a bit bigger back then.”

“That explains his two year disappearance! Who would’ve thought, he was on a different planet the whole time!”

“Yep. Anyway, on our way to a ship, we met this guy named Loki and let him come with us. Loki took us to Asgard, and we helped him, Thor, Valkyrie, and the Gran- I mean Dr. Banner defeat his evil sister and saved his people. Unfortunately, his planet did end up getting destroyed in the process,” Korg sighs as he finishes his story.

Peter is still curious.

“Sooo, what happened next?”

Korg straightens and picks up where he left off.

“Well, we flew our ship through space for about ten months, stopping every now and then to pick up more supplies. We had almost made it to earth when, out of nowhere, Thanos attacked our ship. He killed half the Asgardians, but the rest of us managed to escape. Then, from what Thor told me, he made Loki give him the Tesseract and then killed him. Then Thanos went to collect the rest of the infinity stones, and, well, you know what happened after that.”

Peter nods. He knows exactly what happened.

The two sit in a moment of awkward silence. The Peter speaks up.

“No offense,” he starts. “But why did you come to the party?”

“No man, you’re fine. No, I’m here on behalf of the new king of Asgard,” Korg says. “Yeah, before Thor left, he made Valkyrie the new king. I think she’ll come to court, though. I’m just here to get information.”

At this moment, Pepper stands in the middle of the room and taps her glass loudly to get everybody’s attention. It works, and everyone in the room stops talking and looks at her.

“As you all know,” Pepper starts “it’s much too late to have a serious meeting about Peter’s, eh-hem, _current situation_, which is the main reason I called you here so urgently. So as one last surprise, and I never thought I’d ever say this, but I am inviting all the Avengers to have a campout in my front yard!”

Pepper begins to laugh.

And who can blame her? Not just anyone can have the Avengers campout in their front yard. And even though Pepper knows many of them personally, it’s still a crazy concept.

“If you have any questions, you can come ask me,” Pepper finishes.

~

The party has completely moved outside, where Bruce is helping Happy get the Stark’s five huge tents out of the garage, Clint and Scott are trying to set them up while their wives watch them continuously fail and Shuri mocks them from afar, Pepper and May are spraying bug repellent on the kids, and Rhodey is teaching Peter how to start a fire.

“This is really important to know if you’re ever stuck in the middle of nowhere, especially during the night,” Rhodey says as he and Peter aggressively rub a stick in between their hands against a rock.

A little smoke begins to rise from Rhodey’s stick when, all of a sudden, a huge blast comes from behind and sets the logs in the pit on fire. Rhodey stands up.

“Alright, who did that?” he asks, annoyed.

“Sorry, that was me,” says a laughing voice.

Peter looks up to see none other than Captain Marvel smiling at Rhodey.

“It’s just that well, Wanda said she was cold, and you guys were taking forever – no offense – so I told her I’d speed things up. Sorry if I-” she waves her hands around. “Messed up your bonding time.”

“No no, you’re fine,” Rhodey assures her. He stares at her for a bit, then remembers Peter. “Oh, uh, Peter, this is Carol. Carol, this is-”

“Peter Parker,” Carol says, shaking Peter’s hand.

Peter swallows. “Oh, you um, saw the video, I’m guessing?”

“Well, I have now, but actually, I remember when you introduced yourself in the middle of the battle,” Carol says. Then she adds with a smile, “Only true gentlemen do that.”

Peter groans as he remembers that moment when he gave her the gauntlet. With Tony dying and getting back to his normal life, he had forgotten that he had told yet another person his name.

“Guess it doesn’t matter anymore,” he sighs quietly, but Carol and Rhodey don’t hear him. “Well, I’d better go check on MJ and Ned. It was nice seeing you again Miss…”

“Danvers. It was nice to seeing you too.”

Peter runs to his friends, letting Rhodey and Carol talk by themselves. As he walks, he breathes in the fresh air and looks at the smiling faces all around him.

_If only life were like this_, he thinks.

~

Peter bolts upright, gasping for air. He whimpers and shakes as he tries to calm down by telling himself it was just a dream. He looks around him.

_See, he thinks. You’re in a tent, at the Stark’s house, not under…_

He shudders.

But no, he is not trapped under a high speed train.

After making sure he didn’t wake anybody up, Peter decides to take a walk. Once he’s out of the tent he’s sharing with Ned, Nate, and Cooper, he checks his phone. It’s only 4:30. He makes his way to the still smoldering fire pit. The pit is surrounded by the five extravagantly big tents. There was a boy’s tent, where Peter was sleeping, a girl’s tent, where MJ, Shuri, Morgan, Lila, Cassie, and Wanda were sleeping, a man’s tent which all the guys were sharing, and a women’s tent which all the ladies were sharing. The fifth tent was being used by Bruce and Korg, since they both had abnormally huge bodies.

After sitting by the fire for a bit, Peter tip toes to the dock. He briefly thinks about peeking in the girl’s tent, wanting to see what MJ looks like when she sleeps, but decides against it, knowing it would be creepy. He’s almost at the dock when he stops, noticing a figure a couple feet away, standing by the lake. It’s a man, looking at the woods impatiently. Peter begins to go back to his tent, but the man has already seen him.

“Oh…hey,” the man says uncertainly.

Peter waves awkwardly. “Hi.”

“I’m Sam. Sam Wilson,” the man says, pointing to himself.

Peter’s eyes widen as he realizes who’s standing in front of him.

“Whoa, you’re Captain America.”

Peter knows the old Captain America travelled back in time, somehow got really old, and is now living out his last days peacefully hidden away from the rest of the world, even though it was told to the public that Steve Rogers was killed in the same battle Tony died in. Peter also knew, as well as the rest of the world, that the mantle had been passed on to the person who used to be known as the Falcon.

“I-I’m Peter,” Peter says.

Sam chuckles. “I know. So you’re that bug boy from the airport.” He laughs again, then turns serious. “Having trouble sleeping?”

Peter hesitates. “Yeah,” he finally admits.

Sam nods thoughtfully. “Well, you know who else has trouble sleeping,” he says.

“Who? Peter asks.

At that moment, another man walks out of the woods. Peter notices immediately that he only has one arm.

“This guy,” Sam says, jutting a thumb at the one-armed man.

The man looks at Sam as he walks towards the two. Then he notices Peter.

“Oh…hi,” he says, confused. “I’m Bucky Barnes. I see you’ve met Sam already.” He looks at Sam again. “Wait, were you talking about me?”

Sam ignores the question. “Peter here has trouble sleeping too.”

Bucky shoots Sam a dirty look. “I just had to pee,” he says through clenched teeth.

“Oh, don’t you be lying to me! I know you got nightmares,” Sam says, then adds quietly, “I have ‘em too.”

Peter looks at the two men standing in front of him. What could these Avengers have in common with him?

As he was about to find out, a lot.

Bucky sits down at the edge of the lake. Peter takes this as a signal for him to do the same. Sam quietly walks away, leaving his friend with someone who might actually understand him. Bucky looks into the darkness.

“So, do you wanna talk about it?” Bucky asks after a few minutes of silence.

Peter shakes his head, then buries it in his hands. No, he does not want to talk about it. Now he can’t get the memories out of his head. Before the Daily Bugle even posted that video, Mysterio had already made living more difficult for Peter than ever. For example, he didn’t like to get close to large statues or monuments, fearing they would fall on him. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he imagined his reflection jumping out and beating him up. Once he saw a snow globe and his mind went into a panicked frenzy; he had to leave the room. The subway had been Peter’s primary source of transportation, but now he couldn’t even hear one without almost passing out from fear.

“I hate trains,” Peter mutters without thinking.

He looks up, expecting to see a confused expression, but instead finds Bucky nodding understandingly.

“Me too,” he says.

“You do?” Peter asks. “Why?”

Bucky looks uncomfortable for a few moments. Finally he answers.

“A long time ago, I had an – er – accident. Involving a train. I- I never really got over it.”

Peter looks at Bucky with curious eyes. Even though he won’t say it, Bucky knows the kid wants him to elaborate on this ‘accident’. He sighs.

“1942. Steve – or I guess Captain America – and I, along with some of the Howling Commandos, were on a mission. It was our job to capture one of Hydra’s top scientists. In order to do this, we had to jump on top of a moving train. Everything was going great. We had made it onto the train, taken out the main guards, and were almost to the scientist. It was going so well, in fact, I started to suspect it might be a trap. That’s when another Hydra soldier appeared out of nowhere and blasted a hole in the train. I fell out of the train, but managed to hold on to a bar on the outside. Steve reached for me, and he had almost grabbed my hand when the bar broke…and I fell. We had been about two hundred feet up.”

Peter’s eyes were wide with wonder. He had so many questions.

“Oh my gosh, that’s terrible! Wait, is that…” Peter trails off, wondering if he should ask the next question. He decides to, in a quiet voice. “Is that how you lost your arm?”

Bucky nods. “Yeah.”

“How did you survive?”

“A few months back, me and the rest of my battalion were captured by Hydra. They took a few of us and did some…experiments. I was the only one who survived them. Actually, I probably wouldn’t have made it if Steve hadn’t come to rescue us. I was really sick when Steve found me, but I eventually got better. Then the whole train accident happened, and when I fell, I was sure I had died. But whatever Hydra had put in me, helped me to survive the fall.”

“So what did you do after that?”

Bucky is hesitant to answer. He doesn’t really want to tell this kid that he was a murderous assassin for seventy years, with dozens of victims, including Tony Stark’s parents.

“Hydra found me, and used me. They forced me to be an assassin – for the next seventy years.”

That’s all he says, and watches to see what the kid’s reaction will be.

“Wait, you said they forced you?”

“Yeah. They had inserted something into my head that – if you said the correct words – made me obey whatever your commands were. It was awful.”

“Oh, that does sound awful.”

Peter feels bad for not sharing his story, as if it was a big deal. Compared to what Bucky had to go through, what happened to him is nothing.

“I guess I can talk about my incident. After all, it’s not near as terrible as your accident. It’s actually nothing, I just get scared easily. It’s really dumb, to be a superhero, and still get scared, you know?”

“What happened?” Bucky asks gently.

Peter takes a deep breath. “So I was fighting this guy, who at first had told me he was my friend, then ended up being evil, it was a big mess. Anyway, I had given him these glasses, they actually control a lot of weapons. Mr. Stark had left them for me, but I was selfish, and I gave them away because I was scared of the responsibility. I thought he would use them for good, but then my girlfriend and I found out that he actually had a plan to attack London. So I went to tell Mr. Fury about his plan, but Mysterio – oh, Mysterio is the name of the guy I was fighting – was already there. So back to where I started. I was fighting Mysterio, who was using these drones to project illusions to trick me. Suddenly, he turned off the illusions, and I was standing on a train track. Then a train came out of nowhere and, well, it hit me. I got stuck under it for a few minutes, but I managed to get into the train, and I passed out.”

Peter takes a deep breath, realizing he had been talking fast. Then he looks at Bucky, who is staring at him, not saying a word.

“I know, it’s stupid. I mean, I have superpowers, right? This stuff happens to Avengers all the time! I just need to grow up already, it’s-”

“No Peter!” Bucky exclaims, almost fiercely. He continues in a calmer voice. “Do not think getting hit by a train is normal, and that it’s ‘babyish’ to ask for help.” He rubs his temples and mutters, “You’re worse than Steve was.”

Peter is confused and a bit frightened by the man’s outburst.

“Wait, what…”

“Just – I know we just met, but – promise me you won’t put yourself in harms way, ok? That’s not what a good Avenger does.”

“Oh…ok. I mean, yes sir, I-I won’t.”

The two are interrupted by a faint cry coming from the tents. With his enhanced hearing, Peter can tell it’s coming from the girl’s tent. He rushes to the tents, and Bucky follows. To their surprise, they find Morgan sitting next to the fire pit, sniffling.

“Hey,” Peter says in a gentle voice. “What are you doing up?”

“Peter!” she says, her eyes brightening for a moment as she runs into her brother’s arms. “I had a bad dream.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Peter asks as he holds her tightly, repeating the question Bucky had asked him moments before.

“It was about Daddy…” her eyes fill with tears and she buries her head in Peter’s chest. “No, I don’t want to talk about it.”

After a few moments of silence, Morgan speaks again.

“I didn’t want to wake Mommy up.”

“Shh, that’s ok. Me and Mr. Barnes are here. I have nightmares too.”

“So do I,” adds Bucky.

The two Avengers talk to the poor little girl until she falls back to sleep. The only thing that Peter can think of is how much she looks like her dad.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So first off, I tried my very best to write Korg's dialog how he talks in the movies, but I'm not sure I got it right. I've seen a lot of people making a big deal about Valkyrie's real name being Brunnhilde, and I'm over here like 'chill, it's a nickname' so I got that cleared up. I also cleared up the fact that Thanos did not attack the Asgardian ship immediately after the events of Ragnarok, since Thor specifically says "Ultron happened two years ago" in Ragnarok, and Infinity War happened three years after Age of Ultron. Also in this chapter, I touch on the possible crush between Carol and Rhodey (which is honestly a pretty cute ship) suggested in Endgame. I also put my theory on why Cap was in the emotional tribute at the beginning of FFH. It's not very fair to Tony, who actually died (no hate towards Cap) but it makes sense. And the reason you didn't see so many murals for him is the same reason you didn't see murals for Natasha: they weren't the focus of the movie. Another thing, I don't know if I got the Bucky "death" scene completely right. Lastly, Bucky+Peter+Morgan, am I right? Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	12. SWIM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has some fun with his new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry for not uploading this chapter sooner. From now on the chapters will be uploaded VERY slowly, now that my friend has tons of homework to do everyday. Also, this chapter is angst free, but again, don't get used to it. Enjoy!

Peter wakes up to Ned tapping him on the shoulder. He opens his eyes, trying to remember where he is. Then he realizes he’s still leaning his head on the ex-assassins shoulder, who’s also balancing a sleeping Morgan on his lap. He stands up quickly.

“Oh my gosh, sir, I’m so sorry. I didn’t-”

“Hey, Peter, it’s fine,” Bucky chuckles. “You were exhausted. And besides, it’s been a long time since I got to…take care of someone. Now go hang out with your friends.”

Peter just now notices the bunch of people staring at him. Ned, MJ, Lila, Cooper, Cassie, Shuri, and Wanda are all dressed in their swimsuits. MJ grabs his hand.

“Go get some trunks on and come swimming with us!”

The group leaves Bucky and Morgan and heads towards the lake. Peter heads towards the cabin, climbs the stairs to his room, and begins to check his drawers for trunks. Once he, May, Ned, and MJ arrived at the Stark cabin, Pepper had stocked his drawers with Tony’s old clothes. Peter had been unsure about wearing his late mentor’s clothes, but he really didn’t have another choice. Of course it wasn’t like he had never worn Tony’s clothes before; still, it was different now, for obvious reasons. 

After a few minutes, he finally finds a pair of swimming shorts that look like they’ve never been used. He takes off his pajamas, pulls on the trunks, grabs a towel, and runs outside before he misses any of the fun. From a distance, he can see his friends splashing and laughing. As he walks a hilarious idea comes to him. He throws his towel to the ground, runs down the dock, jumps unnaturally high, curls into a ball, and drops into the water. The momentum causes a wave big enough to go over everyone’s heads. Peter emerges from the water and shakes his head like a dog. 

“Parker!” MJ yells, but she, along with everyone else, can’t help laughing.

Even though MJ was sitting on the side of the lake, she still got soaking wet. Her usually long hair is even longer with the water stretching her curls out, and the sun is reflecting off her face.

Peter can't take his eyes off of her. 

A sharp splash of water hits him in the back of his neck and interrupts his thinking. He spins around to see Shuri splashing him in the face.

“Oh, you wanna go?!” he yells as he raises his hands for protection.

“Bring it, bug boy!”

She continues to splash him, and he splashes back. His splashes are bigger, and Shuri begins to fall back.

“Ha! Surrender or be destroyed!” Peter says.

“No way!” Shuri refuses.

The two can hear Wanda laughing a few feet away.

“Hey!” Shuri calls. “Wanda, come join my side!”

Wanda shrugs. “Ok.”

She swims towards Shuri and also begins to splash Peter. Now outnumbered, Peter uses his super strength to make huge splashes. 

“He’s getting too powerful!” Shuri yells dramatically. “We have to do something!”

“Wait!” Wanda responds. “I have an idea.”

Her eyes flicker red, and suddenly a wall of water separates her and Shuri from Peter. Peter stops splashing and stares at the wall in awe. Then he smiles and sticks his hand through it.

“You can’t defeat me.”

He begins to swim through the wall when Wanda lets it drop, at the same time letting a bubble of water she had been building above Peter’s head drop as well. Once the water has flowed back into the lake, and Peter gets over the shock of _losing;)_, Shuri swims up to him.

“Surrender immediately!”

Peter whines. “Fine. But that wasn’t fair!”

Their conversation is interrupted by a scream and a splash. Peter, Shuri, and Wanda turn to where Cassie and Lila had been floating on floatees. Now there was only Cassie, and empty floatee, and a laughing Cooper. Lila emerges from the water and smacks him on the head.

“What the heck Cooper!? I told you not to do that!” 

“So what?” Cooper says. “I don’t have to listen to you.”

“Both of you!” Wanda snaps. “Cooper, apologize, Lila, let it go.”

Cooper rolls his eyes. “Sorry.” 

Lila scoffs and gets back on her floatee, and continues to float with Cassie. Cooper stands in the water, now left with nothing to do.

“I thought you were swimming with Ned farther off?” Wanda says.

Suddenly, Ned’s head pops out of the water.

“Yeah, why’d you leave me?”

Cooper shrugs. “I got bored.” A smile spreads across his face as an idea seems to enter his mind. “Hey Wanda, why don’t you do the launching thingy?” 

Wanda looks confused. “The what?”

“You know, when you throw us in the air?” His explanation is accompanied by vague hand movements.

“Oh, that! I don’t know Cooper.”

“Come on. It’ll be fun!”

“Alright, fine.”

Cooper swims to the dock, climbs on it, runs to the beginning, then runs to the end, and jumps. Wanda puts her hands out and focuses on her brother. He becomes engulfed in wisps of red and launches into the air. He does two front flips and dives into the water. Ned gasps and MJ lifts up her sunglasses to see better. Cassie also laughs in amazement, but Shuri and Peter nod as an idea forms in their heads.

“Wait, if you can use your powers to lift things with your mind,” Peter begins.

“Then potentially, you could make us fly!” Shuri finishes.

Wanda’s eyes light up. “Hey! You’re right! I mean, I do it in battle all the time, but I’ve never thought of doing it for fun.”

All the children immediately head for the dock and make a line. Ned is first. As Wanda lifts him up, he laughs nervously. He begins to float above the lake for a few minutes. Then Wanda gently lands him in the water. After Ned goes Shuri, who seems extremely confident in the air. After Shuri goes Cassie who, much to everyone’s surprise, seems to enjoy every second of it. She even does a flip. After Cassie is Lila, then Cooper, then MJ. At first, MJ is hesitant to do it, and Peter notices her giving Wanda strange looks. Wanda also looks unsure about it, though she says nothing. Peter pushes the thought out of his mind and coaxes MJ into it. Once she’s in the air, though, she feels better, and waves to her friend’s down below, though she doesn’t make eye contact with Wanda. Finally it’s Peter’s turn. But as soon as Wanda lifts him up, he hears a voice telling him to get down. 

“Aw, Happy, I just got my turn!”

“Sorry Pete,” Happy says seriously. “But it’s time to get down to business.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So this chapter is kind of like the swim Peter never got to take in Spider-man: Homecoming (in the hotel at D.C. when Peter sneaks out to track down the Vulture and his guys). I got the idea for this chapter from a Pinterest post (this is the link: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/634444666240083389/ ). Obviously I switched up the roles a bit. I hope you like it. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	13. PLAN (REPRISE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers discuss their plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend just wants to let you know that this is not her best writing. She's had a buttload of projects recently and she's very tired. I hope you like the chapter anyways!

It’s been two hours since the teens went swimming; they’ve eaten breakfast, dried off, and are now sitting with the rest of the guests in the large living room. Everybody seems to be split into groups (though a few stand alone). The Bartons sit together on the bigger couch. Bruce sits on the stairs. Korg leans against the doorframe. Sam and Bucky sit in some folding chairs they found. Rhodey and Carol share the loveseat May and Happy had shared two days earlier. The Van Dynes share the smaller couch. Shuri sits criss cross on the rug with a famed Dora Milaje guard Peter hadn’t noticed before. Ned sits in Tony’s chair and MJ sits on the armrest. Pepper sits in the middle of the room on a strong wooden coffee table, with May and Happy on either side of her. Peter sits at their feet, holding Morgan. The whole setup reminds Peter of the Senate from the Star Wars prequels.

“Ok people!” Pepper says as she taps the watch on her wrist. A blue hologram pops up from it containing information she’s about to explain. “Peter’s first trial is in London, and it takes place in a week. I’ve already booked everyone’s rooms, we’ll board the jet tonight, I’m pretty sure there’s room for everyone. What I want to know right now is what each of you can say on Peter’s behalf. Let’s start with you, Shuri.”

Shuri stands up and clears her throat.

“I am Princess Shuri of Wakanda. I will be representing my brother, King of Wakanda, and the nation of Wakanda as a whole. I apologize my brother could not come himself, as he is dealing with a situation back at home. But what _I_ can testify is the fact that Peter saved my brother from great injury, if not death, in the Airport Battle of 2016. And he most certainly saved both of our lives in the Great Battle against Thanos. In that battle he also indirectly saved Wakanda, as well as the whole universe, by helping keep the gauntlet away from Thanos.”

Shuri smiles at Peter, who smiles back shyly, and sits down again.

“Thank you, Shuri. Sam, Bucky, you may go next,” Pepper says.

Sam stands up, and Bucky does the same.

“Good morning. Um, in case you didn’t know, my name is Sam Wilson, and this is Bucky Barnes.” Sam gestures towards Bucky, and Bucky smiles. “Anyway, we’ll be representing the Avengers. We were both witnesses in the Airport Battle of 2016, and the Great Battle against Thanos. In the Airport Battle, we can confirm that-” Sam stops and sighs dramatically.

Bucky rolls his eyes and continues for his friend.

“We can confirm that he was on the right side of the law.”

Sam begins speaking again before anyone can say anything.

“And we can confirm heroic behavior in the Great Battle against Thanos.” 

Sam sits down in his chair and pulls Bucky down with him. After Sam and Bucky speak, it’s Korg’s turn. He explains what he explained to Peter: that he was representing New Asgard right now, but King Brunnhilde herself would come to court and testify what she witnessed in the Great Battle against Thanos. After Korg, Ned and MJ say they will be joining the class that went on the trip once they get to London. Rhodey says he has access to plenty of videos with Tony talking about Peter that might be helpful. This reminds Morgan of her dad’s helmet in the treehouse, and she immediately runs over to Nate and drags him outside. The Avengers laugh at the children, then turn serious again.

Carol states that she’s been in contact with Nebula recently. Everybody pays close attention.

“I told her about Peter’s situation. She said she remembered him from Titan. Then she offered to download her memory of that day and send it to me.”

Peter is speechless. He remembers Rhodey telling him that the blue alien lady Peter had never officially met hated her cybernetic body parts. And now she was just handing over her memories to this boy she didn’t even know.

Pepper was about to move on to the next person when Peter finally found his voice.

“W-Why?” he asks. “Why would she do that for me? She doesn’t know me.”

Carol smiles. “She told me she spent 23 days in space with Tony after the Snap. Almost a month, she said, with a grieving father. It was one of the saddest things she’s ever experienced, and she's experienced a lot of sad things. Just from the stories he told, Nebula got the feeling that she would do anything for you.”

Peter stares at the floor. “Please tell her thank you,” he manages to say, quietly focusing on not letting the tears in his eyes slide down his face. He misses Tony _so_ much.

Pepper thanks Carol and moves on to the Van Dynes.

“Hi, I’m Scott, this is my wife, Hope, and my daughter, Cassie,” Scott begins. “We’ll be representing Pym Technologies. I can testify that Spider-man stopped me when I was using a Pym Tech suit illegally in the Airport Battle of 2016.”

“But Mr. Van Dyne, that would reflect poorly on your company,” Peter protests.

Scott shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I mean, it’s not even my company, it’s hers.” He points at Hope, who nods her head.

“Please, Peter,” she says. “Don’t worry about it. The company’s going downhill anyways, now that my dad is spending all his time with my mom, and Scott and I are busy…avengering.”

Peter presses his mouth in a tight line. He really wishes people would stop giving so much up for him. It makes him feel like he always owes them something.

_Oh there you go again, Parker,_ Peter thinks to himself. _It’s always about you._

Next is Bruce, who says Spider-man saved his life when he and the Hulk were having a disagreement and Bruce couldn’t protect himself. He points out that if he had died then, he wouldn’t have been able to snap everyone who dusted back to life.

Last is the Bartons. Clint can testify heroic behavior on Peter’s behalf. Wanda reveals something game changing.

“If it’s ok, with you, Peter, I can look into your mind and project the memory of that moment on the bridge.”

Everyone is silent. Then May speaks up.

“Then what the heck are we waiting for? Let’s do that!”

“Hold on,” Wanda says. “It’s a widely known fact that I can also project fake images. There’s no guarantee that the court would accept that as valid evidence. So before you consent to me digging through Peter’s mind, think about the fact that there is only a small chance that this will even work.”

May opens her mouth to speak, but Peter interrupts her.

“No, there’s no other way.” He looks at Wanda. “Let’s do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So I'm going to jump right in. First off, I probably exaggerated all the lifesaving everyone claims Peter has done in this chapter (for example, I'm pretty sure T'Challa was fine without Spider-man in Civil War). Second of all, the main Avengers battles will be referred to as the following from now on: The Battle of New York (the Avengers); the Battle of Sokovia (Avengers: Age of Ultron); the Airport Battle of 2016 (Captain America: Civil War); the Battle of Wakanda (Avengers: Infinity War); the Battle of Titan (Avengers: Infinity War); the Great Battle against Thanos (Avengers: Endgame).
> 
> I want to thank everyone who's read my story so far. I hope one day to pursue a career as a screenwriter and this is my first work. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	14. TRIP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and the team arrive at London

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: 
> 
> the angst is back;)

Peter tries to fall asleep. The team had boarded the jet two hours ago. Now they are halfway to London (it would take eight hours to get there on a regular plane, but the jet went twice as fast), and it is very dark outside over the Atlantic Ocean. Curled up in his seat next to Ned, Peter can see MJ and Cassie slumped against each other. They had been showing off their sketchbooks to each other when sleep overtook them. 

Hope and Scott are behind them, and earbud in one ear each, Hope reading a book and Scott drumming the rhythm of the music with his fingers on her  thigh . Across from Hope and Scott is Bruce, sprawled out on two seats and reading the Daily Bugle on his laptop. 

Behind Bruce sits Carol and Rhodey, who quietly exchange war stories (you would’ve thought that after five years of knowing each other, they would know everything  _ about _ each other, but  apparently they didn’t see each other all that often). They both gush over each other’s bravery and cleverness, though Rhodey does it more freely than Carol.

Beside Rhodey and Carol is Sam and Bucky, who have ditched the maturity of  the  skilled soldiers  they are  and have instead  adopted the attitude of ten-year-olds. They complain to each other about how long the ride is and how they  _ had  _ to sit between the  _ only  _ couples on the plane besides Laura and Clint (they didn’t know about Peter and MJ). This starts a fight between them over who chose the seats. Behind them, Korg does his best to ignore their arguing by playing  Fortnite on his phone. In front of 

Peter, May chats with Shuri’s bodyguard, who Peter finds out is named  Xoliswa .  Xoliswa only says one or two words every now and then to comment on May’s stories, since she is keeping an eye on the young Princess Shuri, who  sits  in the pair of seats next to them with Lila. 

Shuri and Lila talk about weapons, half asleep. Lila’s favorite is obviously a bow and arrow, since her dad has been teaching her how to use one since she was little. Shuri says hers are these things called vibranium gauntlets  that  she invented a while back. 

Clint and Laura doze with Nate in their laps at the front of the jet. Beside them are their other children,  Cooper and Wanda. For the first thirty minutes of the flight, Cooper wouldn’t shut up, so Clint asked Wanda to start a movie in his head. She happily obliged, and the boy was now sitting quietly and smiling, seemingly gazing at nothing;  meanwhile,  Wanda slept peacefully. 

Peter couldn’t see them, but using his spider senses, he could hear Pepper discussing his case with Happy in the cockpit as Morgan snored into her shoulder. Content with his observations, Peter finally fell into a (thankfully) dreamless sleep. 

~

“Wake up sunshine,” Morgan whisper yells sarcastically to Peter as she whacks him across the head. “We’re almost there!” 

Peter yawns and rubs his eyes, then looks out the window. He is met with the sight of London’s tall buildings and towers. He sees the London Bridge, still the tiniest bit damaged from the attack about two months ago. The sight makes his heart rate pick up and he has to tear his eyes away from the window before he has a full-on panic attack. Luckily for him, he ends up staring into MJ’s eyes. He can already feel his heart rate coming down as he loses himself in her beauty.

“Hey,” she says softly.

_She must have just woken up_, Peter thinks. She’s still leaned back in her chair and her voice doesn’t have that usual tough edge in it yet. 

Their gazing is interrupted by a small squeal. They turn their heads and see the squeal is coming from Cassie, who is excitedly staring out the window.

“Oh my gosh!” she exclaims. “I’ve always wanted to go to London!”

Peter and MJ look at Scott to see his reaction to his daughter’s excitement, only to find him doing the exact same thing. 

As if reading his mind, Hope playfully  rolls her eyes and says “They  love _ Sherlock _ .”

Peter nods his head. He too loves  _ Sherlock _ .

At this moment Happy’s voice comes over the speaker.

“Alright, hold on to your seats. We’re landing in 5…4…3…2…and 1.”

The jet gently settles on the grass in front of a large hotel. The kids scramble to get out of the suddenly cramped space, while the adults stand up and stretch. Soon everyone is off the jet with their luggage. The team walks into the lobby (minus Happy and Bruce, who are

stacking all the luggage up) and Pepper checks in. Peter looks up at the oversized chandelier hanging from the ceiling and takes a deep breath.

“I’m back,” he whispers unenthusiastically. 

~

Peter, MJ, Ned, Wanda, Shuri, and Cassie stare at the beautiful London skyline as they silently eat pizza in Wanda’s hotel room. It had been a long day of sleeping ,  planning ,  and  unpacking , and the teens were ready for a late night together, probably binge-watching  _Sherlock_.  Unfortunately Lila, Cooper, and Nate had to stay with their mom at a different hotel as to not attract attention to themselves (since nobody really knows they exist). This decision had annoyed Morgan, who was losing a playmate in Nate. Peter had heard Sam and Bucky had volunteered to watch her tonight while Pepper went to run a mysterious ‘errand’. 

Soon the pizza was gone and everyone huddled on the huge  king-sized bed. Once they were all comfortable, Peter reached for the remote to start the show.

“Darn it.”

“What’s wrong?” Shuri asks

“Oh nothing. It’s just that we left the remote over there and now we’re all comfortable.” He laughs. “It’s fine, I got it.”

Peter starts to get out of bed, but Wanda interrupts him.

“Hold on, you don’t need to.” 

The remote becomes coated in red wisps and floats straight into Wanda’s hands. She gives it to Cassie. 

“Let’s get this party started.”

It’s almost midnight and the last episode of  _ Sherlock _ is just finishing . Everyone has fallen asleep except  Peter and Wanda. Peter looks at Wanda and gives her a small smile. 

“So…what do we do now? ”  he asks.

“We should probably wake them up . They need to get to their own rooms. ”

“Yeah, you’re right…”

The two  super humans sit in silence for a while.

“I’ve been meaning to ask-” they both say at the same time and laugh.

“You go first,” Peter says.

“ Ok. I’ve been meaning to ask you about…her,” Wanda points to MJ, who is sleeping with her head in Peter’s lap.

“Yeah, I was gonna ask the same thing. You guys don’t seem to get along very well. What’s the big deal, did I miss something?”

“ I don’t have a problem with her, she seems like a nice person but…”

“But…?”

“Ok, d on’t take this the wrong way but, well, don’t you think she’s kind of,” Wanda hesitates, then lowers her voice. “Kinda, well,  _ weird _ ? Just a little bit?”

Peter tries his best not to look offended, but he’s not sure what Wanda’s getting to.

“I mean, she can be a little scary sometimes, I guess to a stranger, maybe, um, pushy? With her agendas? I’m sorry, I’m not really sure what you mean by  _ weird _ . She doesn’t have any mental disorders, if that’s what you’re saying. Although, I wouldn’t think she comes across like that.”

“No no. That’s not what I mean t. J ust … forget I said anything, that was my bad .” She quickly changes the subject. “We need to  do the memory thing, if you still want to . I can do that real quick, like , before you go to bed.”

“Ok, that sounds good. ”

Peter and Wanda begin to wake up their friends. At  first they’re reluctant to move, but soon they’re all out of the room. Peter explains to MJ and Ned what he has to do and that he’ll be done soon.

Now that everyone’s gone, Peter sits on the edge of the bed. Wanda begins to give him a short  briefing on what exactly she’s about to do.

“Ok Peter, this should only take a few minutes. I want you to close your eyes and if you could just start thinking about your trip to Europe, starting with the plane ride there and ending with the fight on the bridge, that would be very helpful.”   
Peter follows her ins tructions and begins to think . He feels a slight  wooziness come over him when she starts to look through his mind, but it goes away and he is only the tiniest bit dizzy . He can tell she’s  suppressing a giggle when she sees him trying to get MJ’s attention,  he can sense her annoyance when she sees Brad and Flash being jerks , he knows she’s excited when  she sees him help fight the  Water Elemental. Her emotions change like his when he was experiencing these things that are now only memories .  She scoffs and Peter knows she’s watching him give the glasses away.  Then it’s MJ finding out he’s Spider -man, Peter finding out Beck is evil, Peter  trying to tell Nick Fury and then – and then the illusions start. Every detail plays out in Peter’s mind. The falling, the punching,  the  tricks . It’s not until he hears Wanda sniffling that he realizes he’s crying too. But on she goes , downloading his memories into her own.

That is until the train.

She’s still trying to process the cruelty of  Mysterio when BAM. That train from hell . His pain is so much she can  _ feel _ it. And he’s  so _scared_ . 

Peter can’t continue thinking because suddenly Wanda’s hugging him so tight and crying for him and whispering in his ear.

“I’ve got you,  _ frate _ _ mai _ _ mic_,  I’ve got you , little brother.”

Peter knew a lot a bout Wanda. From the  chaotic country of  Sokovia . Dead parents. E xperimented on by Hydra.  Dead brother. Imprisoned by the government. Dead  boyfriend.  Yeah, he knew a lot  _ about _ her. But  now he  _ knows _ her. Loyal, protective, powerful, loving, smart, and young.

He liked knowing her.

After crying for a while together , t hey finish up the memories. Wanda says goodnight , Peter starts to head out the door. Before he leaves, Wanda calls out to him. 

“Yeah?”

“Just remember , I love you little brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So I've actually had this chapter typed up for a while, I just never got around to editing it (school, ya know?). Anyway, if you haven't seen my edit on the last Whumptober post I did, I just wanted to let you guys know that I have officially given up on Whumptober (again, school 😒). I hope this isn't a disappointment to anybody, although I doubt a lot of people read it in the first place. Also, I'm going to stop explaining the entire chapter in the notes like I used to, cause it was probably annoying, and I'm lazy like that. If you have any questions, feel free to comment them! Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	15. MEETING

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter makes a new friend. (This is for the fans!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, my friend is not proud of this particular piece of writing, but hey, you guys should like the new character being introduced!

Peter holds MJ’s hand as Happy drives them and Ned to a hotel about fifteen minutes away from the one they’re currently staying at. Peter has a long day ahead of him, and it starts by dropping off MJ and Ned with the rest of his class that would testify at court in a few days. He’s dreading it, and he hopes no one will see him in the car when they get there. Happy’s already made sure no news reporters (or cops) are there, and at least two SHIELD agents are keeping an eye on the class, which gives Peter a little bit of comfort.

Nonetheless, he grips MJ’s hand tightly and leans into her. Before they even pull into the parking lot, Peter can see the crowd of kids and teachers waiting anxiously for them. Happy drives up to them carefully and parks. The kids would be surrounding the car, trying to get a peek, if Mr. Harrington wasn’t demanding that they stay back.

Ned sighs. “Oh well, guess I won’t be seeing anymore Avengers for a while. See ya later.”

Peter waves as Ned steps out of the car. Now it’s MJ’s turn to go.

“Stay safe Peter,” she instructs. Peter nods, and she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I love you, MJ.”

MJ follows Ned into the crowd and Happy pushes the button to close the door. Peter sees Betty hug MJ and Ned and ask them how they are. Flash has his phone out and is no doubt live streaming the whole thing. He does stay to the side, though, probably trying to avoid an inescapable confrontation about him bullying Peter but loving Spider-man by MJ. Just as the door closes, Peter makes eye contact with none other than Brad Davis, who glares at him with angry eyes. Peter quickly lowers his head.

“Let’s get out of here Happy.”

Happy nods and steps on the gas.

~

“Peter!”

Morgan runs into Peter’s arms as soon as he walks through the doors to the lobby of the hotel.

“Hey Morgan! How was it last night with Mr. Wilson and Mr. Barnes? Did you have fun?”

Peter makes his way across the room to where the two men are sitting on a couch and sipping coffee.

“Oh yeah, lot’s of fun. Did you know Polly over here is really good at cooking? He made us two whole baskets of popcorn on the stove!”

Peter laughs. “Who’s Polly?”

“I am,” Sam says as he rolls his eyes. “I showed her a video of me with my wings and she said I looked like a parrot.”

“She’s not wrong,” Bucky teases.

“Be quiet, _old man,”_ Sam shoots back.

“Anyway,” Morgan interrupts, “we watched a movie, but we were late starting cause the TV wasn’t working correctly and it took me a while to fix it.”

“She’s a smart one I tell you. Ten minutes it took her to fix that TV,” Sam says, shaking his head.

Peter nods in agreement. “Tell me about it. She’s helped me fix my suits on multiple occasions.”

“Why thank you. Your praise is very much appreciated,” Morgan says mockingly. “Oh, I almost forgot. Mommy’s back, and she wants to talk to you.”

Bucky points to the breakfast buffet.

“She’s over there.”

Peter heads to the tables and scans them for a blonde head. He finally finds her, sitting with a boy who seems to be about Peter’s age. Confused, Peter approaches them.

“Hey Mrs. Stark, you wanted to talk to me?”

Now that he can see the boy’s face, he realizes he recognizes him from somewhere.

“Oh yes. Peter, I’d like you to meet Harley Keener.”

Harley smiles and extends his hand. Peter shakes it as he sits in an empty seat.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Harley says.

“From the news?” Peter asks shyly.

“No, from Tony. I’m here to support you. Pepper had me flown over here. She said you could use another friend. We just got back from the airport.”

“Peter, Harley was a close friend of Tony’s. He always planned on having you two meet, but he wanted to surprise you,” Pepper says, her voice bittersweet. “Of course that never worked out. I thought now would be as good as any time to introduce you guys.”

Peter smiles. “You were at Mr. Stark’s funeral, right? I thought I saw you there.”

Harley nods. “Yeah, I was there for a little bit. Pepper was kind enough to send me a plane ticket so I could attend.”

“I know Tony would’ve wanted you there,” Pepper says.

“You’re not from New York?” Peter asks.

“No, I live in Tennessee.”

“How did you meet Mr. Stark?”

“It was back in 2013,” Pepper states. “After Tony was presumed dead when the terrorists blew up our house.”

“Yep. I was like, ten or eleven,” Harley continues. “It was a normal night for me, until I heard some strange noises coming from my work shed. My mom was doing a night shift and my little sister was sleeping, so I decided to check it out. Holding my homemade potato gun, I burst through the door, only to find _Tony Stark_ sitting at my tool bench. I actually didn’t realize who he was until he showed me his Iron Man suit. While I checked it out, he explained that it was broken and he was on a mission.”

“That ‘mission’ almost got him, Rhodey, Happy, and me nearly killed _multiple_ times.” Pepper rolls her eyes and laughs, then sighs. “He did save the President, though, so I guess it was justified.”

“Yeah, Tony saved a lot of people,” Harley remarks. “Anyway, after making fun of my potato gun, he told me a list of demands.”

Peter grins. “Yep, that sounds like him.”

Harley grins too, then continues with the story.

“So after that he and I went to this crater were some guy went crazy and set off a bomb in my town a few days back. It killed a couple people, and Tony said it was gonna help him with his mission. He explained that he didn’t think the guy set off the bomb, but that he was used. Then he asked where he could find the guy’s mom. We went to the bar she was always at and he told me to wait outside while he talked to her. Then these creepy fire people attacked him and shot a bunch of others. He got away though, and I know he killed the lady fire person. The guy fire person grabbed me and threatened to kill me if Tony didn’t hand over the file that the bomb guy’s mom gave him. Luckily, Tony had given me a weapon beforehand and I used it on the fire guy. Tony shot him with a repulsor he had and we both escaped. Apparently he had gotten all the information he needed, and he found a car to drive to the next part of his mission. He left me to fix his suit. Over the next few hours he called to check on my progress.

"When the suit flew out of my shed the next day, I thought it was over. We had had our little adventure, it was a good memory for me, but I was never going to see him again. I mean, _Tony Stark_ wasn’t going to remember me.”

“He could never have forgotten you, Harley. You helped him so much, with his anxiety and all,” Pepper reassures.

Harley smiles.

“One week later, I walked into my shed after school to find that everything had been replaced by top of the line equipment, including our old, beat up car. Even better than that was the check we started receiving in the mail every month for ten-thousand dollars. Mom didn’t need to go to work anymore, my sister could finally start going to professional ballet classes, and I got my own four-wheeler. The best thing, though, was the plane ticket to New York City I received every summer. He let me live at the Avengers Compound for a full week, just so we could catch up. I got to meet a bunch of Avengers, even though they probably don’t remember me.”

“I wonder why Mr. Stark never introduced us. I met him in 2016, and I was at the Compound a lot,” Peter thinks aloud.

“Tony was planning on it, but Harley had to cancel his last trip,” Pepper supplies.

“My sister had a lot of ballet recitals that summer, and on the weeks I wasn’t busy, Tony was.”

“Oh yeah, that makes sense,” Peter says. “And then…Thanos happened.”

Harley looks at his hands. “Yeah…you know what? I haven’t eaten yet and I’m starving.” He stands up and gives a halfhearted smile. “I’ll be right back.”

As he walks away, Peter looks at Pepper.

“Did I say some-”

“No. I’ll – I’ll tell you later. For now, you should eat something."

Peter obeys, wondering what this boy whom Pepper trusts so much is avoiding.

~

“Harley blipped, right?”

Peter and Pepper sit and talk in a booth at one of London’s fancy restaurants. Despite the circumstances, the team had unanimously decided to tour the city together, undercover (meaning baseball caps and sunglasses). After a long day of touring, they were finally getting some dinner.

Harley, though he may have looked a bit like him, proved to have a much different personality than Peter. He was extremely confident, and had easily befriended the Avengers. He had spent most of the day so far with Peter, Shuri, Wanda, and Cassie. In fact, he seemed to have a crush on Cassie. When she needed help finding something on the map, he was there to help her; when she dropped her sunglasses, he immediately picked them up for her; when they stopped at an ice cream place, he bought her a cone. Right now he was sitting next to her and ordering dinner.

It’s pretty cute to watch, and Peter was glad Harley was having fun. He wants to be his friend, but in order for this to work, he needs to know what makes him uncomfortable.

“Yes, he blipped,” Pepper answers.

“Why doesn’t he want to talk about it?”

“I’m going to tell you, but don’t tell him that I told you.”

“Of course.”

Pepper takes a deep breath. “You heard him when he said he had a sister and a mother, right?”

“Yeah. Does he not?”

“Well, he used to. When Thanos snapped, Harley, his sister, and his mother were in their car. Harley was driving. He was the only one that blipped. The car flipped off the road. They didn’t survive the crash.”

Peter looks at Harley.

“That’s terrible.”

“I know. When he came back, he was told by his townspeople that they didn’t survive. He tried living by himself in his house for a couple months. He came to the funeral, but he never told me they had died. One weekend I wasn’t busy, and I was thinking about him, so me and Morgan decided to take a road trip to Tennessee to visit him. That’s when I found him in that mess of a house, alone, trying to get by. I convinced him to tell me everything. I’m worried for him, Peter. I was hoping you guys could help each other.”

“I’ll try my best, Mrs. Stark. I-”

Peter is interrupted by a someone screaming. It’s faint, and Peter knows he’s probably the only one who can hear it. He also knows he’s not supposed to be saving anyone right now, but…

“Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So I hope I wrote Harley's character correctly (although, after all this time, who knows what he's like).  
Unfortunately he won't be in this fic very much. I just wanted to introduce him, possibly for a future fic? About the New Avengers? Comment down below if you would like to see that! I already have a few ideas. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	16. ATTACK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's road to recovery gets screwed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for taking so long to upload this chapter. My friend has had a lot of work to do recently and hasn't been able to write.
> 
> For this chapter she's trying something out, but she doesn't want you to get confused, so here it is: In the middle of the chapter, the POV will change, and the story will go back a few minutes and repeat some scenes. Like I said, it's a new thing, so comment if you don't like it. Enjoy the chapter!

Peter walks towards the bathroom until he’s out of his team’s sight. Then he runs out the front doors, heading towards the source of the screaming. As he gets closer, he realizes it’s not screaming, more like whimpering. He goes slower, still wanting to see what’s wrong. The whimpering seems to be coming from an alley about a block away from the restaurant. As he nears the alley, he is surprised by a tap on his back. He whirls around, wondering who could’ve followed him, and if they’re friendly or not.

Harley gives him a confused smile. Peter breathes a sigh of relief.

“What are you doing out here?” Peter asks.

“Um, well, I was going to the bathroom, and I saw you running out, so I uh, followed you!” Harley answers excitedly. Then he lowers his voice. “So, what are you doing?”

Peter clears his throat. He can still hear the whimpering, and he’s eager to stop it.

“I’m just getting some air.”

Peter continues to walk, and Harley follows him.

“Yeah, ok,” he scoffs. “Ok, so am I. You know, Wanda wanted to know how you were holding up today. She said-”

Harley is cut off by Peter’s sudden stop as they enter the alley he was heading for. In the shadows, Peter can see a figure dressed in black, holding up a knife to a whimpering, scared looking woman.

_Mugging_.

Peter signals for Harley to stay behind as he creeps silently towards the mugging. Thankfully, Harley listens. Once close enough, he sticks his wrists out and shoots webs from the web shooters he constantly wears. They catch the figure’s hands and pin them to the wall, now helpless.

“Leave her alone,” Peter demands, annoyed at the nervousness in his voice due to the absence of his mask. Now that the threat is gone, Peter expects the woman to thank him or run away. He backs up towards Harley, hoping to get out before being noticed. He looks at the woman, but to his surprise, all fear has left her face and she raises her hand to her ear, which he just now notices has a small, black earpiece.

Then she speaks.

“Target acquired. Fire at will.”

“Wha-” 

Peter gasps in pain as something punctures him in the shoulder. It sends shocks throughout his entire body. He looks at Harley, who’s hand is over his mouth and eyes are wide with terror. He gasps again as another hits him in the calf. People in tactical gear begin to surround him, but no more darts reach him; his instincts have taken over and he is crawling up the building, onto the roof, and then running. He glances at where Harley was standing, only to find he had disappeared.

The people have made it on the roof and are chasing him. Darts fly through the air. One sticks in Peter’s neck. He yells in pain and loses his balance. He begins to fall to the ground, but catches himself with his webs. He keeps on running. Then his spider sense picks up one of the men’s orders.

“Tranq darts proving ineffective. Switch to bullets.”

Immediately after, a gunshot rings through the air. Peter stops. He looks down. 

Blood pours from his chest.

He hugs himself and gives way to the pool forming under him. The people circle around him, but he doesn’t care. As his vision blurs, he sees…Morgan? At least he thinks he does. It might just be his ears ringing, but she seems to be screaming. That’s funny. She never screams. And then there’s Bucky. He rushes to Morgan and pushes her behind him. Peter closes his eyes. Everything just seems so…heavy. The darkness calls him, but he needs to fight. He opens his eyes to see Bucky punching someone in the face while Harley picks Morgan up and takes her away. Maybe. The world seems to be collapsing in on itself. The darkness calls for him again, and he’s so tired, he does what he’s always told to do.

He obeys.

~

Harley’s hand flies to his mouth as a threatening dart enters his new friend’s shoulder. Peter turns around and their eyes meet. Harley’s are full of fear (an emotion that’s fairly new to him, but recently constant) and Peter’s are filled with pain (a feeling he’s all too used to). The second one goes in, but Harley already knows what he needs to do. He races down the sidewalk, pushing past people and hoping desperately that Peter can take care of himself. He continues until he reaches the restaurant and bursts through the doors. A couple of waiters try to stop him, but he slips past them. He runs to the first team members he sees, which are Bucky and Sam. Morgan sits in their laps, but when she spots Harley, she jumps up, worry filling her face. 

“What’s wrong?”

Harley bends over, trying to catch his breath.

“What happened?” Bucky asks. He and Sam are already next to Harley as well.

“It’s – Peter,” he says between breaths. “Some people – are trying – ” He takes one deep breath. “These people are trying to catch him! I don’t know why, but they’re shooting at him and he’s trying to get away.”

The two Avengers look at each other, apparently not needing an explanation on who is trying to catch Peter. 

“I’ll go get Pepper,” Sam says, and runs to the dining room.

Bucky rushes out the doors. Morgan is quick to follow, and Harley has to chase her. Once the three are outside, a loud gunshot sounds from the side of the building. They make their way to the noise, and are horrified at what they see. In the distance, poor Peter is sitting in a large pool of blood, surrounded by people pointing guns.

Like he’s a threat, drenched in his own blood.

Morgan begins to scream, loud and hysterical. She runs in front of Bucky, but Bucky pushes her behind him. She continues crying, and Bucky tries to get past the group of people holding them back.

“What the heck do you think you’re doing?” he yells at one of the people.

“Please stay back sir. This is a government business.”

Harley picks up Morgan and carries her farther away. He can see the people closing in on Peter, who still seems to be conscious (somehow).

“That’s our kid, and he’s frickin bleeding to death!” Bucky yells again.

“I’m sorry sir. He’s a dangerous criminal, and he needs to be detained, by order of the Secretary of State.”

By this time, the rest of the team is arriving at the scene.

“I don’t give a crap about what Ross wants! You know what?”

Bucky punches the guy in the face, not hard enough to break anything, just enough to stun him. Sam, who showed up at his friend’s side a few seconds before, grabs his hand before he can do anything else. 

Harley hears a loud gasp, and looks in the direction from which it came from. Cassie is standing next to Shuri and pointing at Peter, who’s finally slipped into unconsciousness and lays motionless on the cold ground. 

Harley runs to Pepper and hands her her daughter. Pepper immediately tries to calm her while continuing her phone conversation. May is crying into Happy’s shoulder nearby.

“You promised a trial!” Pepper shouts into the phone. “You can’t just take him like this, he’s seventeen! Don’t you dare bring up those frickin Accords I swear to God!” 

She abruptly hangs up on whoever the important people she was talking to were and focuses on her sobbing child.

Black vans pull up and the people begin to load Peter’s body into one of them.

“There’s nothing we can do?” Harley whispers to Pepper.

“Nothing,” she replies solemnly.

And so the Avengers watch, unable to do anything, as Ross gets what he wants.

Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! Sorry for the short chapter, this one's kinda meant to tide you over until I start coming out with the good stuff. Anyways, hope the POV change wasn't too confusing. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	17. PRISON

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter gets used to his new surroundings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I'm really really REALLY sorry about posting this sooooo late. My friend has had a LOT of school projects, sports stuff, Christmas things, and now - ugh - midterms 😒. And to top it all off she's been suffering from a minor writer's block (cause that's exactly what she needs right now). Anyways, it's here now, and after all these days of buildup, I'm sorry if it disappoints (it probably will).

Peter wakes up to a blinding light shining in his face. He’s laying in a bed and his web shooters are gone. His eyes dart around and he realizes he’s in a small room with white walls, a white ceiling, and white floor.

_Oh no,_ Peter thinks. _Am I back in New York?_

He had hated that interrogation room, and he thought he would never have to go back. 

Suddenly, a voice comes over a speaker on the ceiling, interrupting his thinking.

“Peter Benjamin Parker, age 17, citizen of the United States of America. You have been arrested for terrorism and murder.” 

The voice is female, and not robotic, so unless wherever he is has as an advanced AI system as the Stark family, this means someone is watching him. 

Peter sits up, but immediately regrets it as he yelps in pain.

“What the-”

“Allow me to refresh your memory. Last night you were shot point blank in the chest after resisting arrest. The bullet was removed only two hours after the injury occurred and the wound was stitched together. Your body began to heal quickly, however, you suffered significant blood loss, two broken ribs, and a bruised lung. Now, under normal circumstances, you would be in a hospital, but unfortunately we can’t risk that, what with the threat of your _alterations._ On the other hand, those alterations are letting you recover at an unnatural speed, and I doubt you would even need a hospital.”

Peter shudders at the way the voice refers to his powers, at the same time noticing an IV in his arm and a heart monitor beeping nearby. He also realizes there’s something around his neck and, though he can’t see it, he feels the stitches down the middle of his chest. He remembers last night, and he’s so confused. He thought he was getting a trial…

“Where am I?”

“Classified, for now. But don’t worry, you won’t be in this room for long. Mr. Secretary doesn’t like to waste his resources on the…enhanced.”

“Who are you?”

“Also classified for now.”

“What’s on my neck?”

“Shock collar, in case you get any ideas,” says a new voice, a man’s voice with a cold edge.

Peter's anxiety spikes. He's heard this voice before.

“You try to make a run for it, give my guards any trouble, you so much as_ move too fast_, ZAP. 2500 milliamps of electricity courses through your body." Peter can imagine the man sneering through his pause. "But seeing how you resisted my tranq darts last night, this should be nothing, right _Spider-man?_” 

Peter stays silent. Those darts had hurt, and he's already in enough pain; he doesn’t want to test out this collar.

After a moment of silence, the man speaks again.

“Allow me to introduce myself.”

The outline of a door appears in the wall and hisses open, revealing an older man with white hair and smug grin.

“My name is Thaddeus Ross, or as you may know me, Secretary Ross.”

A pause, then a smirk.

“Welcome to the Raft.”

~

Peter walks in between four guards down a hallway. His side throbs with pain where his broken ribs and bruised lung are, and it’s almost torture in itself to be forced to exert this much energy. But he doesn’t want the guards to catch onto his weakness and manages to keep his groans inside. His hands are bound inside of a contraption that resembles a Chinese finger trap, only it encompasses his entire hands and is made of metal. It’s keeping him from the comfort of wrapping his arms around himself, a nervous tic that had become increasingly common for him over the years. 

After what seems like an eternity of walking, Peter and his ‘entourage’ arrive at what he assumes is his cell. The wall is made of glass with thick bars over it and he can see a cot, small table, and toilet all made of shiny grey steel. One of the guards punches a code in a pad and the wall creaks open. Peter is pushed into the cell and the wall slides shut behind him. One of the guards begins to speak.

“Meals are twice a day. They will be delivered to your cell until further notice. There’s a clock on the wall over there. Lights go out at 8 and on at 6.”

The guard turns, then changes his mind and faces Peter again.

“And remember, don’t try anything.”

He holds up a remote, and Peter immediately knows it controls the collar on his neck. 

After he’s sure all the guards are gone (although there’s no doubt someone’s watching him from the camera outside the cell) he collapses onto the cot. He takes a shaky breath, then lets it out. The thing on his hands deactivates. It falls to the ground with a crash that startles Peter. He immediately wraps his arms around himself.

Tears well up in his eyes, but he refuses to let them fall. No, he cannot cry this time, not with these people watching his every move. He won’t cry. He will be strong, he won’t. Not this time, not ever. He’s strong…

The tears fall relentlessly.

~

_The Raft._

The name had been bouncing around Peter’s head for the past 10 hours, 13 minutes, 5 seconds. 6 seconds. 7.

He knows what it is, unlike a lot of people. He had heard Tony talk to Pepper about it all those years ago. He knew this is where they locked up Sam, Scott, Clint, and Wanda after the Airport Battle. He didn’t, _hadn’t_, known the details. So far it seems like a normal prison. You know, besides the shock collar.

And the straight jacket. 

And the fact that all the guards wear Army uniforms, reminding Peter that they aren’t the bad guys.

He is.

Another name that has been bouncing around his head is MJ. He wonders how she had taken it when they had told her. Had she cried? He’s never seen MJ cry before. Is she planning how to get him out? He hopes so. He hopes all the Avengers are. He had only been served one meal so far, but the food was terrible, which he can get over (he eats May’s cooking all the time), if it wasn’t for the incredibly small portions. At this rate, his increased metabolism will have him starved by the end of the week. 

The wound in his chest, along with the broken ribs and bruised lung, only adds to his pain. He was offered no pain killers, and every movement makes his insides scream. This is why he sticks mainly to sleeping.

But the wounds will heal quickly, and soon he will not be sleeping as much. It was already a hard decision to make: nightmares or true pain.

When he isn't sleeping and eating, the only other thing he could do was think. And think. And think

He thinks about his escape. Will he sneak out, or will they release him? He very well can’t stay here, right? But the more he thinks about it…

The more he thinks about it, the more he realizes how naïve he’s being. Of course he’s going to stay here. The Avengers had just escaped this place. They wouldn’t risk getting stuck in here again just for Peter. And Ross had told him in the white room that Peter was stuck here until he was able to have a conference with the US Cabinet and the UN, which won’t happen for a couple months. Peter knows Ross will delay it as long as possible. The Secretary of State was a known hater of the enhanced. He saw them as a threat and was more than happy to force the Avengers to sign the Accords, which made them give up all their freedoms. Peter had never signed them; he had never needed to. His identity had been a secret. He doesn’t even know if the Accords were still in effect, but then again, he _is_ here, so they must be.

No, he was not leaving anytime soon. He is a criminal, and he’s going to be treated like a criminal. There would be no special treatment. They are the government.

He is the bad guy.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! Again, so sorry for the late chapter (you've heard the excuses). After my last chapter, people didn't seem to be too happy with Ross back in the story. But have no fear, it really helps move the story along and ties into some things I think you guys will really enjoy. Let's go New Avengers...;)
> 
> Merry Christmas and have a great day! Jesus loves you!
> 
> EDIT: Hey guys, so some of you have been annoyed at the lack of updates recently. I am sorry to inform you that my friend has decided to take a break from the internet for a little bit. THE STORY IS NOT OVER. Please stick around for more chapters when she returns!


	18. TEAMWORK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the team is upset over the arrest of Peter, so they do something about it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, we're back! I'm sorry we were gone so long, but to make up for it, my friend has decided to spoil you with almost 3000 words. Hope you enjoy!

“What do you mean this is what the Accords say? I didn’t even know the Accords were still in effect? And since when did they apply to minors?”

Pepper takes a deep breath and tries to compose herself. It has been five days since they took Peter. For five days, May had been unconsolable, staying in her room with Happy. Five days ago, Pepper had sent Rhodey to pick up MJ and Ned from their class, who had to be sent home. 

It took five days for the Secretary of State to answer her calls. Now his hologram stands in front of her.

“The Accords are most definitely still in effect, and they have always applied to minors. Wanda Maximoff was apprehended for her crimes at age 19.” 

“Look how well that turned out for you,” Pepper scoffs.

Ross sighs, then straightens.

“What you don’t seem to be understanding, _ Mrs. Stark _ , is that the United States cannot have an enhanced individual running around Europe _ blowing things up _.”

“_ He _ did not blow anything up. As for you and your ‘apprehension team’, well, there’s a lot of accusations to be made.”

“You forget that _ I _ am the government, not you or your little Avengers. There is video evidence that Peter Parker is responsible for the destruction of London, the deaths of many civilians, and the murder of-” 

“Fake evidence that proves nothing!”

“That is for the court to decide.”

“That’s where we were going before you kidnapped him, remember?”

“Arrested him, Mrs. Stark. And I do apologize for the inconvenience, but the U.S. made a last minute decision that it is too dangerous for him to be walking around London with no one to restrain him.”

“First of all, even if he was guilty, he does have people to restrain him. Every Avenger still on this Earth is here.”

“And half of those Avengers escaped from custody almost eight years ago. Lucky for them, the Senate voted their heroic actions to defeat Thanos was enough to pardon them.”

“Hey, guess what? Peter also performed heroic actions that day.”

“And you can present all this ‘evidence’ at court. For now, Mr. Parker will remain in custody until court day - which has yet to be decided - according to rules stated in the Sokovia Accords, which, may I remind you, was signed by your late husband, Tony Stark.”

Pepper freezes at the mention of Tony. After a few seconds of letting Ross’s words sink in, she grips the arms of her chair and stares straight into the hologram.

“My husband,” she begins in a shaky voice, “signed that paper because he knew he didn’t have a choice. He sacrificed his relationship with some of the only family he had because he knew power hungry people like you would stop at nothing to make sure people know who’s in charge.”

Pepper and Ross glare at each other for a long moment.

“And Mr. Secretary,” Pepper adds. Ross raises his eyebrows.

“Don’t you ever talk about my husband again.”

Her fist slams down on the end call button and the hologram immediately disappears. She slumps into her seat and buries her head in her hands. Tears run down her face as she tries to keep the sobs inside. For a minute she sits.

And she cries.

“Pepper?”

Pepper shoots up, quickly wiping her eyes. She can’t let anyone see her like this. She’s supposed to lead, be strong, be in charge, be-

Rhodey looks at her with worried eyes.

“Oh, hey Rhodey,” she sniffs, then sighs. “How is everyone holding up?”

Rhodey straightens from the doorway and sits on the desk in front of her chair. The team is still in the hotel, desperately trying to figure things out.

It’s not working.

“Still no word from Fury, even though I’ve tried calling him a few times. Carol is convinced that she’s going to blow up the entire prison, but I haven’t told her where it is, so, we’re good for now.” Rhodey attempts a chuckle, but when Pepper doesn’t laugh with him, he just clears his throat and returns to a serious tone. 

“Peter’s friends, Ned and, TJ? DJ?”

“MJ.”

“MJ. They’re hanging out with Clint and his family. Wanda, Sam, and Bucky are trying to relive their escape, trying to see if there’s a chance…” Rhodey drifts off as Pepper wipes her eyes again. He gently takes her hand.

“I’m guessing the meeting didn’t go as planned?”

Pepper shakes her head. Rhodey notices the dark circles under her eyes and her crumpled clothes.

“When’s the last time you got a decent amount of sleep?” he asks softly.

“I’m fine Rhodey,” she insists as she begins to get out of her chair. Immediately losing her balance, she collapses back into the chair. Rhodey grabs her arm to ease the fall, his worried expression changing into pained sadness.

“No, Pepper, it’s happening all over again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re doing exactly what Tony used to do and you know it. The not eating, not sleeping, focusing on one thing and never letting anyone help you.”

Pepper opens her mouth to object, then decides against it. Rhodey takes a breath and softens his tone. 

“You and I, we watched him kill himself. And yes, he was better at the end, but he was never really good.” His voice drops to a whisper. “Don’t make me watch you kill yourself too.”

Tears stream down Pepper’s face and she wraps her arms around Rhodey. He hugs her back tightly.

“Care about yourself, like I care about you. Do it for Morgan. Do it for Happy, do it for May, do it for Peter. 

Do it for Tony.”

Pepper takes a quivering breath. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok.”

“You’re right.”

Rhodey nods, then inches his way out of her embrace, and instead stands over her.

“I don’t want to give you any false hope, but…”

Pepper stands up, this time not falling.

“What? What did you hear?”

Rhodey takes a deep breath.

“Cassie, Harley, and Shuri told me they have a plan. I think - I think you should call for a meeting.”

~

Cassie wrings her hands together. She can’t believe she agreed to present the plan in front of _ everybody _. Sure, it’s a decent plan, but that doesn't mean they’re going to agree with it, or like it, or even listen to her. What if they laugh at her? Oh, she’s so dumb, how could she have ever agreed to this?

There was a time when Cassie would have loved the chance to present one of her ideas in front of important people, would’ve loved to make new friends, would’ve loved to help. But that time was before.

Before the Blip.

Things happened, after her mom and stepdad faded into dust, and her dad was lost in the quantum realm.

Luis was a great caretaker, but that didn’t mean it was always easy to live with him. The bottom line is, she learned a lot of things during those five years. One of those things was that you shouldn’t trust people.

“Cassie? Are you in here?”

Cassie looks up from where she is sitting on her hotel bed. Harley is standing in the middle of the room, a half smile on his face.

“Found ya.”

Cassie brushes some hair from her face and smiles back. She likes Harley, and she’s pretty sure he likes her too. But like she said before, she can’t trust him.

At least, not yet.

“Allow me to escort you to your meeting, my lady.”

Harley holds out his hand, which Cassie takes with a roll of her eyes. He pulls her up, and together they walk out into the hallway.

“Shuri said the room we’re supposed to go to is on the top floor. I think-”

“Harley?” Cassie interrupts. Harley stops walking and looks at her. 

“Yes?”

“Um...well, um,” Cassie stutters, suddenly embarrassed. “Nevermind, it’s nothing.”

“No no. Now I need to hear it,” Harley teases. “What’s going on?” he adds in a serious tone.

Cassie sighs. She needs to get this out.

“So I was thinking, and, well, maybe this plan is dumb. Like, do you really think we can break into a top secret, high security prison, much less with a plan made by some kids?”

Unlike most people who would just brush her worries away, Harley thinks about her concern a bit before answering. 

“To be honest, no, I don’t think we can break into a prison with a plan made by some kids. We’re using a plan made by a genius princess, a beautiful Blip-survivor _ and _ daughter of an Avenger, and me, the best mechanic you’ll find around. And yeah, this plan may be a little iffy, but hey! I haven’t heard a better one.”

Cassie nods her head, still a little unsure. “I guess you’re right.”

Harley pats her back and keeps walking.

“Just remember: Everyone in that room wants to help Peter, including us. As long as that’s our priority, people will listen.”

Cassie follows him, much more sure of herself than before, and extremely thankful for a friend.

Even if she doesn’t completely trust him.

~

Shuri taps her foot impatiently. Everyone is here, except for Harley and Cassie, who she needs to present the plan. After a few more minutes of waiting, the two finally burst into the room, both breathing heavily. 

“Sorry - we’re late,” Cassie says between breaths.

“The elevator - broke. Had - to take - the stairs,” Harley finishes.

Their audience chuckles, a little on edge, no doubt eager to hear what this plan is. 

As the two latecomers regain their composure, Shuri rolls her kimoyo beads into the middle of the long table.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. As you know, Cassie, Harley, and myself have come up with a plan to free Peter instead of waiting for the screwed up- I mean, _ contemplative _ U.S. government to make up their mind.”

Shuri can hear some of the Avengers - specifically Carol - murmuring in agreement. With a confident smile, Shuri turns on her beads. A purple energy seems to connect them, and hologram seemingly made of sand is displayed. Shuri hears an “ooo” come from where Bucky and Sam are sitting, though she’s not sure which one it came from.

“Ned helped me get this map of the Raft, where Peter is being kept, for those of you who don’t know,” Shuri says as she spots Carol shoot Rhodey a dirty look.

“This is the entrance,” she explains, pointing at what looks like the roof of the circular building. She uses her bracelet to zoom in to the heart of the building.

“This is the room Peter is most likely in. It’s the most secure and has the most cameras. I believe it is the room Wanda was kept in in 2016.” 

Surprisingly, Wanda doesn’t flinch.

“Yes,” she says. “I remember being in the middle when we escaped.”

Shuri nods. “Good. We’ll need your help with that.”

“That is, if he is even in that room,” Cassie cuts in. “There’s a strong possibility that he is in the medbay…” Cassie trails off as Shuri centers the hologram on the medbay. “After all, he _ was _ shot.”

At the end of the table, May does flinch. 

“I wouldn’t count on him still being there,” Happy says as he holds May closer. “That kid heals like there’s no tomorrow.”

“Ok, um, we’ll take that into consideration,” Cassie acknowledges.

“But what if he _ is _ still extremely injured?” Bruce asks from his seat next to Korg. “So much so that he can’t move?”

“Yeah, what’s your plan for that?” Korg chimes in.

“Well, uh, we hadn’t-” Cassie begins, but stops short when Sam starts talking. 

“Bruce is right. That was a _ gunshot _wound. When Steve was shot, it took him weeks to heal. We can’t bet on Peter being in traveling condition.”

Shuri sees Cassie wipe sweaty palms on her jeans as she begins to speak again.

“Well, of course we would-” 

“Super powers or not, he’s not going to bounce back from a gunshot wound in five days. We need to plan for that,” Bucky says as if Cassie hadn’t said anything.

Cassie tries again, but is interrupted by Clint.

“What is the plan exactly?”

“Umm..” Cassie trails off, and Shuri can tell she is frozen with nervousness.

Of course _ now _ everyone’s quiet, and they’re all looking at her. 

“I’m so glad you asked!”

Shuri and Cassie turn their heads to see Harley (who up until now had been standing quietly to the side) walking towards the table with a nonchalant grin.

“May I?” he asks as he holds out his hand toward Shuri. She smirks and gives her bracelet to him.

“Ever since the Rouge Avengers escaped, they’ve really upped their security. Walls are thicker, guards are higher in number, locks are more advanced, but they’ve forgotten one thing.” Harley focuses the hologram on the side of the Raft. “They haven’t changed their water disposal system.”

Confused whispers fill the room, but Harley keeps smiling. 

“As most of you know, the Raft is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is fully submersible, meaning every time it comes up, it needs to get the water out. That is done through a series of small slits around the exterior. Now, these slits are much too small for a normal sized person to sneak through. Thank goodness we’re not using normal sized people.”

Near the front of the table, Hope raises an eyebrow.

“What are you saying?” Scott asks hesitantly.

“What I’m saying, Mr. Van Dyne, is that we need you and your wife to sneak in there with your suits. Carol will take you through the ocean so the Raft’s scanners won’t detect you coming. They’ll think you’re a whale or something. Once you guys get there, you can enter through the slits. From there you’ll make your way to wherever Peter is. When you have him, you’ll return to where you snuck in. With some of Shuri’s tech, Ned can shut down their cameras. He knows a trick to making it look like an accident, so they won’t suspect anything for a while. Of course, you know what to do if you run into any guards. When you’re ready to go, you’ll signal Carol through your comms, and she’ll blast a big enough hole for Peter to get through. This will alert them to your presence, but by that time you should be gone.”

“Where will they go?” Rhodey asks.

“Up,” Cassie answers. “Carol would carry Peter, and Hope would carry Scott. About twenty miles away, we’ll have a quinjet to pick you up. We’ve picked a remote forest in New Zealand to be our meeting spot with the rest of the team, but you can change it to whatever you want.”

“After we get everything settled with everyone,” Shuri continues, “I have volunteered to take him, Mrs. Parker, and anyone else who needs refuge, to Wakanda with me. There, you will be safe.”

The team is silent for a few moments as they process the plan that has been laid before them.

“Sounds like a good enough plan to me,” Carol finally says.

“Except it’s not.”

All heads turn towards May, who seems to be trying her best to stay calm.

“I’m sorry for being harsh, but it’s _ not _ a good enough plan. You don’t even know which room he’s in. You have no idea what security is like outside, and you have no sure way of getting through the prison without being detected.”

“I agree with Aunt May,” Morgan says, and surprisingly, everyone listens. “You haven’t even told us how we’ll know if he’s stable enough for transport.”

Shuri glances at Harley who, to her astonishment, hasn’t changed his expression.

“No worries Miss Stark and Mrs. Parker,” Harley assures. “We didn’t forget those details when we were planning. In fact, Cassie was just trying to explain it a few minutes ago. Nevertheless, here’s what our thought was: We get someone on the inside. Someone who could, dare I say, spy for us. And report back.”

Shuri hears someone scoff, though she can’t tell who it was.

“I think that’s a bit too far fetched, don’t you?” Laura asks softly.

“Well hold on,” Rhodey says. “I don’t really think so. I assume you have someone in mind, Harley?”

For the first time in the whole meeting, Shuri sees a flash of uneasiness across Harley’s face.

“Well, um, no, not exactly.”

A disappointed sigh comes from Morgan, and Shuri watches Pepper shake her head.

“But we’ll find someone, it shouldn’t be too hard,” Harley desperately tries to reassure.

“Don’t worry about it, I already found our guy,” says MJ. She is looking at her phone, like she had been for the past ten minutes.

“What do you mean, MJ?” Pepper asks quietly.

“I just got a text from someone I haven’t talked to in a long time.”

“Who?”

MJ looks up from her phone.

“Liz Allen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey, so I know I've been gone for a while, but I hope people haven't forgotten that I exist! Anyways, a lot of people weren't happy with the last few chapters, so I apologize, and I hope you like this extra long chapter. I'm also starting to work on a new fic. It's going to be about the five years of the Blip, and hopefully I can get it done in time to publish for the first anniversary of Endgame (April 27th)! 
> 
> I'm super excited for Black Widow and the Disney Plus shows coming! Have a great day! Jesus loves you!
> 
> EDIT: Hey guys, so I don't know if I made this clear, but I am a huge Team Iron Man supporter (yes I know it's 2020 and I should get over it) and I'll gladly debate - civilly - with anybody who disagrees in the comments!


	19. HELP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter gets some help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! A new chapter so soon? Just kidding it's only soon in my eyes. Ok enjoy!!!!

It had been five days since they had brought Peter here. Apparently that’s all the time they needed to decide that he is allowed to have meals with the other inmates. Today is his first day, and the guards have just shown up to pick him up from his cell. Unlike the other inmates, who have to walk in a line to get to the cafeteria, Peter must be personally escorted. 

His body still hurts from the gunshot wound, but not as much. Once the wall has been opened, Peter gets up from his cot and walks out. The guards lead him down the hallway.

After a few minutes of walking and going up elevators, they arrive at the cafeteria. It’s closed off by a big metal door, but using his spider sense, Peter can hear loud talking coming from inside. One of the guards enters a code into the pad next to the door and it slides open. Although he is too short to see over the two guards in front of him’s heads, he can tell that everyone in the cafeteria is staring at him when the room goes quiet. Finally, the two guards step to the side, and Peter can see all the faces looking at him. There are both men and women, most big and scary, all looking interested. He assumes he’s meant to walk by himself from here, so he heads to the kitchen where a woman, also dressed in an army uniform, is serving food. As he walks, he hears some inmates whisper “murderer” or “terrorist” under their breath. Peter winces at their words and keeps his gaze fixed on the floor. He gets to the kitchen and the woman serves his food quickly. The inmates have started talking again, and no one seems to be paying attention to him anymore.

Now he has to figure out where to sit.

Before he can address this problem, though, he hears a voice. He recognizes the voice.

“Hey Pete!” 

Peter whips his head around to see...

No. It couldn't be. Not him. Not now. How..?

Adrien Toomes. The man that had almost killed him all those years ago. The man that had almost stolen all of Mr. Stark's things.

And the man that had never revealed his identity to anyone, despite Peter putting him in jail.

Now this man is trying to get his attention for who knows why and Peter doesn’t know how to respond.

“Peter, come here!” Toomes tries again.

“What do you want?” Peter says in the toughest voice he can manage.

“I just want to talk to you, that’s all. Now come here.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Come on kid. We’re in a prison, being watched by hundreds of guards and hundreds of cameras. What can I do to you?”

Peter realizes he’s right. Besides, where else is he going to sit? He cautiously approaches Toomes’s table, which he’s alone at, and sits down.

“What do you want?” Peter repeats, not looking at Toomes.

“I heard about London. Everyone in here did. Most of them don’t really believe it, or don’t care.”

“That’s not what I got when they were threatening me two minutes ago.”

“Those are the ones who lost someone in the attack. They’re too mad to reason the situation.” Toomes pauses to take a bite of his food. “So how’s school?”

Peter scoffs. “Really?”

“Just making conversation kid.”

“You haven’t answered my question yet.”

“What question?”

“What do you want?”

Toomes sighs, then lowers his voice. 

“I want...to help you.”

Peter finally looks at him.

“You’re joking.”

“Not really.”

“Sorry if this comes as a surprise to me, but last time I saw you you were trying to kill me.”

“Well, things have changed. Besides, that was almost eight years ago.”

“Only three for me.”

Toomes stops eating and looks at Peter for a few moments. 

“You blipped.”

“Yeah.”

Toomes finishes the last of his food.

“What’s with the collar?”

“Ross said it’s to keep me in check.”

“Oh yes, I’m sure he was ecstatic when you broke the law and he got to put you in here.”

“I didn’t break the law, I was framed.”

“Right, you were framed.”

“I was!”

“Calm down, I believe you. Why do you think I’m trying to help you?”

“I don’t think you’re trying to help me. That’s the whole point of the conversation.”

“Well I am, ok?”

“Why?”

Toomes takes a deep breath.

“Look. I know I tried to kill you. Sorry about that. But seven years in prison gets you thinking. And I came to the conclusion that...that I was wrong. Not just about stealing from the Avengers, but about running a black market for weapons all those years. A lot of people were probably hurt by them, and I was just thinking about how much money I could make. You were right to stop me.”

Peter stares at the table. He knows he probably shouldn’t trust Toomes, but his instincts are telling him otherwise. He fiddles with his fingers for a bit. Toomes watches him patiently.

“What’s your plan?”

~

Toomes had explained to Peter that his daughter Liz, who Peter remembers very well, was allowed to visit him every once in a while. Now that Toomes’s sentence is coming to an end, though, she is allowed to visit more often. Today she is scheduled to visit. Toomes had also explained that he knew most of the guards were unhappy with Peter’s arrest. Again, the only ones who agreed with it were the ones who lost someone in the attack. 

Apparently, one of the high ranking guards had formed a small friendship with Toomes over the years, and didn’t agree with Ross. Toomes had convinced her to let him spend some time with Peter in his cell, so that’s where they were now.

“She won’t get in trouble?” Peter asks.

“Nah. She said Ross isn’t here today, so she’s in charge of the facility. Ross will never have to know.”

“What about the guards who don’t like me? Won’t they tell Ross?”

“It’s not that big a deal. The only problem Ross would have with this is that you get a small privilege.”

Peter lays down on the cot and tries to keep as still as he can. All this moving around is making his ribs sore again. He wishes he didn’t have to breathe either, because his bruised lung is killing him. He closes his eyes, and almost forgets Toomes is there.

“What’s wrong with you?” Toomes asks, little true concern in his voice.

Peter doesn’t bother to open his eyes, still focusing on staying still.

“Broken ribs and a bruised lung,” he says in an almost bored voice.

The nonchalance despite the importance of the statement throws Toomes off guard. 

“Broken ribs and a bruised lung? What do you mean?”

“I_ mean _ I have broken ribs and a bruised lung,” Peter says in an annoyed voice.

“How?”

“Got shot.”

“By who?”

“Ross’s apprehension team.”

“When?”

“When they arrested me. Five days ago.”

Peter opens his eyes to see Toomes’s reaction. It’s not overly concerned or excited, just slightly intrigued. After a few moments of silence, Toomes finally speaks again. 

“Broken ribs and a bruised lung and you’re walking around like that? I gotta admit, that’s pretty impressive.”

“And not at all painful,” Peter says sarcastically. He adjusts himself into a more comfortable position. “So they’re going to let Liz visit you in my cell?”

Before Toomes can answer, two people appear on the other side of the bars. One is a guard that Peter’s seen around before, and the other is...Liz. But not the Liz he remembers. No, this Liz is older, with lines underneath her eyes and a walk weighed down by responsibilities. True, she had been a senior when Peter was a sophomore, but that would’ve made her only about 19 or 20 now. She seems to be in her late twenties and there’s a ring on her finger. 

Meaning she didn’t blip.

“Hey Daddy,” she says softly as she comes close up to the bars. The guard leaves.

Toomes comes up to the bars as well. Peter realizes that she hasn’t noticed him yet.

“Hey sweetpea. How are you and Ryan? How’s your mom?”

“Ryan and I are doing good. So’s Mom. We can’t wait for you to come home.”

“Me neither honey,” he says, and Peter can’t help but think of May, waiting for him at home.

“Why did you change cells? I’ve never been down here before,” Liz asks, leaning against the bars. 

“Oh, I didn’t change cells, I’m just visiting someone today.”

“Oh?” Confusion fills her face as she peers into the cell.

“You remember Pedro, don’t you?” Toomes signals for Peter to get up, and he does (though it hurts).

Once Liz catches sight of him, shock and disbelief take over her features. She stares for a bit, speechless.

“P-Peter?” she finally gets out.

“Hi Liz,” he says sheepishly.

“Wow…” she chuckles nervously, “umm, long time no see.”

“Yeah. You...didn’t blip,” Peter states awkwardly.

Liz looks down at herself and laughs quietly. “Nope.” She adds thoughtfully, “But...you did.” 

Peter nods his head.

“I saw the video,” she says. “Homecoming...it was so long ago for me, but it makes so much sense now. And Washington. Flash was such a jerk, I can’t imagine what he’s thinking now. Did he blip?”

Peter grins. “Yeah, he blipped, so we still have to deal with him at school. But Ned and MJ blipped too, which was great for me.”

Peter notices Liz’s smile has disappeared and has been placed with a look of concern.

“You’re still in school?”

“Yeah…”

“And they still locked you up in here? Despite being a minor?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Why?”

Peter clasps his hands together and shrugs. “Because I’m a threat, even if I didn’t really do any of those things that the video said. I still have threatening…abilities.”

Liz looks at her father, as if Peter’s answer did not suffice her question.

“We need your help,” Toomes says in a serious tone. “Peter needs...Peter wants to send a message. To his friends. Just to let them know that he’s alright.”

Toomes says it casually, but Peter sees a look in his eyes that indicates more meaning to his words. Thankfully, Liz seems to understand.

“Ok,” she says firmly.

The next hour is spent trying to give her all the information she needs to relay to the Avengers through normal conversation. All three of them know better than to discuss an escape plan in a room filled with cameras and bugs and nearby guards. Soon, one of the nearby guards comes to escort Liz back to her helicopter. 

“I’ll text MJ as soon as I get service, ok? Bye Daddy, I love you.” She pauses, then continues. “Bye Peter. I - I wish you the best of luck.”

Once she’s out of sight, Peter breathes a sigh of relief. He doesn’t expect the Avengers to act on this information, but he will be glad to know that MJ has it. He misses her a lot. 

But if they do decide to act on it…

All he can do is wait and see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So I was home sick for a few days and I decided to write! I hope the fever doesn't show through the writing...;) Anyway, I just need to say, that last bit in the new Morbius trailer is a fanfiction writer's NIGHTMARE. (Sony and Marvel why are you doing this to us 😢). If you don't know what I'm talking about, look it up, you'll understand after watching it.
> 
> So I officially have no idea what the heck is going on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	20. ESCAPE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers try out their plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> This is the one, the chapter you've all been waiting for! Time to see if Peter can finally be free! My friend tried to include as many suggestions as possible, so I hope you guys enjoy this!

MJ zips up her jacket. She’s in the jet with Ned, Cassie, Ant-man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, and War Machine, flying over the Pacific Ocean. She can’t believe they decided to go through with the plan, but Liz gave them all the information they needed, so there was no reason not to.

MJ was not a nervous person by nature. She knew a lot of things, and usually stuff didn’t come as a surprise to her. But when Liz had texted her, her heart had started beating faster than ever before. The team had been pressing for more information, so she had stepped out of the room and called her. 

That phone call had made MJ more on edge than anything. More than when she had been stuck in the middle of the fight in London. More than when she had watched her friends get stuck in the Washington Monument. Even more than when...well, even more than a lot of things. All she could think of was if Peter was okay. Because he had to be, right? He was Spider-man, nothing could hurt him.

Peter had been the best thing that had happened in her mess of a life. She had been lucky enough to get into such a rich kid school as a ninth grader. She had had zero friends, zero money, and zero happiness. 

That was, until she met Peter. Or should she say Peter and Ned, because Heaven forbid that boy be anywhere without his best friend. It was a big school, and Peter was a pretty unnoticeable kid. The only reason she had noticed him was when she went to her science teacher’s classroom to tell him that she couldn’t go on the field trip because she didn’t have enough money. And there was Peter, telling him the same exact thing. The two did end up going on that trip, and now MJ knows Peter got his powers from that trip. She had kept a close eye on him after that. When his uncle died, MJ started sitting at their table. Soon the three of them had become close, even more after Homecoming in their sophomore year. Despite knowing so much, she had failed to realize the obvious. 

She was in love with him. 

She never got a chance to tell him before the Blip. When she had come back, she was so happy to find out he had blipped too. But even after all that, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him. Heck, even when she found out that he liked her, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him. She knew one day her stubbornness was going to cost her, but she was just glad that it had all worked out.

Well, it had all worked out except for the fact that he was now being held in a top secret secure prison in the middle of the ocean by some government official whackjob. 

She sighs and makes her way to Ned, who’s got headphones on and is working intensely on a laptop.

“How’s it going?” she asks him. He looks up and takes off his headphones. “Have you gotten in yet?”

“Not quite yet,” he says, focusing on his screen again. He types something in really fast, clicks a couple of buttons on the screen, taps a few keys, then drops his hands to his side with a triumphant smile. “Done!”

MJ looks at the screen to see dozens of small boxes displaying what seems to be live footage from the Raft. She scans them all and, after a few seconds, finds the one she’s looking for.

She points a slightly shaking finger at it. “Look, I think that’s Peter.”

Ned clicks on the box and it becomes full screen. MJ sits down next to Ned to get a better look.

Peter seems to be sleeping. He’s in a blue and black straight jacket and his hand is placed where MJ knows the gunshot wound is. MJ can’t see any big wounds or signs of mistreatment, other than his paler than usual skin and slightly thinner body. Nothing seems to be happening and Ned is about to exit out of the screen when Peter suddenly bolts upright. He seems to be breathing heavily and sweat is dripping down his face. 

“What’s happening? What’s wrong?” Ned asks in a panicked voice.

“Nothing, I think he’s just-” MJ says hurriedly, “I think he’s just having a bad dream.”

They look at the screen again to see him wincing in pain and grabbing his stomach, but it doesn’t last long, and he turns on his side to go to sleep again. MJ figures the quick movement probably hurt his wound. She isn’t a very sympathetic person, even to Peter most of the time, but seeing him suffer like this makes her want to cry more than anything.

They need to get him out.

She goes to where Cassie is comming Harley about their current position. When she sees MJ she signs off. 

“You ready?” she asks Cassie.

“Yeah. Harley just told me that they’re almost to the forest now, so they’re on schedule. Has Ned hacked the security cameras yet?”

MJ nods. “He just got in.”

“Good.” Cassie stands up. Pepper chose her to be the leader of this mission, and so far she has been on top of everything. Right now she leads MJ to the front of the jet.

She stops by Ned and asks him how everything’s going.

“Everything’s going as planned. I have everything ready, all you need to do is tell me when it’s time.”

“Good,” Cassie says. “I...Could you explain the plan to me again?”

Ned nods. “Sure. So instead of turning off all the cameras at once, which would definitely alert the guards to their presence, or just turning off all the cameras on our escape route, which would tell them where they are, I’m going to disable and restart the cameras on the route _ and _ random cameras, so it will look like a coincidence. Your parents will have to comm throughout the whole mission so I know what cameras to turn off and when.” 

Cassie smiles. “Wow, that’s really smart. I wouldn’t’ve thought of that.”

MJ is not as impressed. “Wait a minute,” she says. “Is your plan seriously based off of the Lunar Chronicles?”

Ned’s face turns red. “What? Nooo, of course not,” he laughs nervously. When MJ’s expression doesn’t change, he stops. “I won’t apologize, Cress Darnel is my idol.”

MJ just rolls her eyes and continues walking to the cockpit with Cassie. There is a door between them and the pilot that slides open at the wave of Cassie’s hand. They find Rhodey flying the jet and Carol talking to him quietly. They stop their conversation and look up at the two girls as soon as they walk in.

“Ned’s in,” Cassie says immediately. 

Carol claps her hands together. “Then I guess it’s time to go.”

Cassie gives a firm nod. “Yes. My parents are waiting for you in the back of the jet.”

Carol waves her hand in front of the door and leaves. Cassie follows her, and soon it’s only MJ and Rhodey left in the cockpit. She’s about to leave as well when Rhodey clears his throat, causing her to look back at him.

“MJ, is it MJ?” he asks, and she nods her head. “You excited for this mission? You probably miss him a lot, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” she replies, unsure of where this is going.

“Me too.” He pushes a button that activates the autopilot, then comes to the door. MJ takes this as a sign to leave and waves her hand in front of the door. She’s about to step out when she feels a hand on her shoulder. Rhodey looks uncomfortable, but also like he needs to say something.

“Look, I just want you to know, if this doesn’t work, please don’t lose hope. We will find a way to get him out and keep him safe.”

MJ relaxes. She’s happy to know there are people out there who can keep Peter safe better than she can.

“Thank you,” she says.

“Really Rhodey? Leave the poor kids alone!” 

Carol is looking at them with an annoyed expression. She’s all suited up and ready to go.

“What?” Rhodey protests, but he has a small smile.

Carol takes a breath.

“Guys, this is going to work, okay?” When nobody answers, she tries again. “Ok?”

“Yes ma’am!” Scott exclaims. He had just come from the bathroom where he had been suiting up with his wife. 

“Alright then, what are we waiting for?” Hope says.

The couple presses buttons on their gloves and shrinks at the same time. Carol kneels down and opens up her hand, which they both climb into. She unzips a small, waterproof pouch and gently drops them in. They peek their heads over the zipper to hear anything Cassie has to say.

“You guys know the plan,” she begins. “Miss Danvers will swim to the Raft. Once you guys get there, she’ll have to fly to the top so you can get through the water slits. Miss Danvers can comm us when you guys get there, but Dad, you don’t need to worry about comming us until you get to Peter. Ned will tell you how to get into his cell. Don’t forget to leave the hologram on his cot so the people watching the camera won’t know he’s gone.

After you get him out, shrink back down again and lead him through the escape route. Everytime you approach a camera, tell us. Get as close as you can to the water slits, then comm Miss Danvers. She’ll blast a hole and get you out. And if you run into any guards...you know what to do.”

Everyone is quiet, no doubt going over everything just said in their minds. Finally Scott breaks the silence. 

“I’m so proud of you Peanut,” he says with a huge smile. 

Cassie laughs. “Okay Dad, it’s time for you guys to go.”

Hope and Scott activate their helmets. Carol zips up the bag and activates her own helmet. Rhodey opens the hatch on the ceiling, and a gust of cold wind and rain fills the jet. MJ shivers.

“Good luck,” she says.

Carol smirks. “Don’t need it. We have you guys.”

With that, Carol blasts out of the jet. MJ immediately looks out the window to see a bright glow disappear into the dark ocean. 

In her head, she hopes Carol is right.

~

Scott climbs out of the tiny hole they made in the Raft’s wall and drops to the ground. He blends in with the wall and does a quick scan of the hallway. After making sure the coast is clear, he signals for Hope to follow.

“So where do we go now?” Hope asks once she’s beside Scott. 

“Follow me. He’s all the way in the middle of the building,” he answers.

The pair walks through hallways undetected. They come pretty close to being spotted when they turn a corner and are met by four guards walking past them. Luckily, they are not seen. At one point Scott remarks that some of the cells they just passed were the ones he stayed in.

Soon they arrive at their destination. Scott can see Peter sitting up on his cot and humming to himself.

“We’re here,” Hope whispers into her comm. 

It doesn’t even take two seconds for Cassie to respond. 

“Good. We can’t see you from the camera, so keep it that way. How is he?”

“He seems to be doing fine. He’s awake, so that’s convenient.”

“Ok. Ned’s not going to knock the camera out until you have entered in most of the code. They won’t be able to see you if you fly up to the pad, so do that. Tell me when you get up there.”

Hope flies up to the pad and hovers in front of it.

“Ok, I’m here. What’s the code?”

“Listen: 0.”

“0,” Hope repeats.

“0,” Cassie continues.

“Again?”

“Yes. So far the code is 00.”

“Ok. What’s next?”

“1.”

“1.”

“Before you put the last number, Ned’s going to knock out the camera. You’ll have about a minute to get him out, put the hologram in, and get out of the camera’s view, ok?”

“Got it. What’s the number?”

“Um, 2.”

“So 0012, that’s the code?”

“Yep.”

Hope punches in the last number. “Gotta say, I was expecting more from a top secret underwater prison,” she comments as the doors slide open. 

Cassie laughs. “Well I guess twelve is _ someone’s _ favourite number. Is the door open?”

“It is,” Scott says into his own comm.

Scott and Hope return to their normal sizes and enter the cell just in time to see Peter’s surprised face.

“Oh my gosh, M-Mr. and Mrs. Van Dyne? What-” he breathes, “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to get you out kid,” Hope says as Scott places a hologram of Peter sleeping on the cot.

“Really?” he says with wide brown eyes that make Scott’s heart melt.

He was a kid. He didn’t deserve this.

“Yeah,” Scott says softly. “Now how about we get going. We’re kinda on the clock here.”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Peter says and stands up. A small yelp escapes his mouth and he doubles over.

“Hey hey hey, are okay?” Hope says as she places a hand on his back. 

“Yeah,” he says in a strained voice. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Woah, tell us what’s wrong Peter. We need to know if we’re gonna get you out,” Scott insists.

Peter straightens, obviously trying to hide the pain. “It’s really nothing. It’s just...when I got shot, the impact broke some of my ribs and bruised my lung. But my healing has pretty much taken care of it; it only hurts when I stand up too fast. I can walk fine, really.”

The couple stares at him for a moment, as if trying to make a decision. 

“Ok, if you’re sure…” Scott finally says. 

“We need to go,” Hope states.

Hope and Scott shrink back to the size they entered in. Hope picks up Scott and begins to fly ahead of Peter.

“Follow us Peter, and don’t get in front of us,” Hope commands, then brings her comm to her mouth. “We’ve got him, Cassie. You can turn the camera back on.”

The three make their way down a hallway, keeping an eye out for security cameras. 

“There’s one,” Scott warns after a few minutes. “Cassie, we’re approaching the first camera.”

Only five seconds pass before Cassie informs them that the camera has been knocked out.

“You have about three seconds to get out of view.”

Hope and Scott speed ahead, and Peter is quick to follow. They make it down another hallway. They find a camera and alert Cassie. They’ve been going through this cycle for a while when Peter speaks up.

“Someone’s coming,” he says all of a sudden.

“What?” Scott and Hope say at the same time. “Wait, how do you know?” Scott continues.

“Just trust me. There’s about two or three guards coming down that hallway.”

“Um, ok,” Hope begins. She hasn’t heard or seen anything indicating someone’s presence. “Are you up for a fight?”

“Always, but we don’t need to fight,” Peter explains. “You guys need to stay still and blend in with the wall.”

“What about you?” Scott asks.

Peter doesn’t answer, but instead looks up the ceiling. After a brief moment of apparent calculation, he jumps and lands upside down on it. He looks down at Hope and Scott and puts a finger in front of his mouth, which is set in a proud smile.

Hope and Scott obey his instructions and blend in with the wall. Peter stays incredibly still as two guards turn a corner and come down a hallway. They pass right under him and never look up.

The group waits a few seconds after the guards leave to make sure the coast is clear. Peter slowly lowers himself from the ceiling and lands on the floor. He beams at Scott and Hope.

“Good thinking kid,” Hope compliments.

They proceed with their escape for a little bit longer until they finally make it to the last hallway where Hope and Scott started. 

“Alright, I just need to alert Carol that we’re here and we can get out. You ready to get out Peter?” Scott asks as he fiddles with his comm.

Peter doesn’t answer, and Scott looks up. He sees the kid peeking down the hallway they just came from. 

“You ok buddy?”

“Um…” Peter says in a worried voice, still looking down the hallway. “There’s some more guards coming.”

Hope whips around. “What? Where? How many?”

Peter bites his lip. “Like...ten or fifteen.”

“Ten or fifteen? Ok, um, can we - can we hide again?”

“No,” Peter says, his voice becoming more anxious. “I can hear them. They know we’re here, and they’re coming for us.”

“How do they-” Scott begins, but is cut off by Hope.

“We can do ten or fifteen.” She grows to normal size, and Scott follows. “Peter, I know I asked you before, but are you sure you’re up for a fight?”

“Do you have my web shooters?”

“Um, no…”

Peter runs a hand through his hair.

“That’s fine, I don’t need them. Yeah, I can fight, don’t worry about me.”

Just as he finishes his sentence, soldiers begin to run towards them. Scott sees the first few begin shooting right away at Peter, but Peter dodges the bullets and flips over them. When one turns around, he grabs the gun out of their hand and throws it to the side. He brings his knee up into the soldier’s stomach; Scott’s about to warn him of the soldier coming behind him when he reaches back and grabs the soldier’s shirt, then swings him over his head and slams him on the ground. 

“You need to contact Carol!” Hope shouts as she takes out a few more soldiers with her stingers.

Scott activates his comm and switches his contact from Cassie to Carol. One of the guards that had gotten past Hope and Peter aims for him. He shrinks in time to dodge the bullet, then grows to knock the man unconscious. 

“Scott? Is that you?” Carol’s voice comes over the comm.

“Yeah,” Scott responds as he kicks a gun out of another guard’s hand. 

“Are you ready to leave?”

The guard tackles him to the ground. “Yep.” 

Scott wrestles with the bigger man until all of a sudden the man slumps to the ground. Scott jumps up into a fighting position only to see that Peter and Hope have taken care of the rest of the guards. Hope still has her hand up from shooting the guard that had tackled Scott in the back.

“Give me 1 minute,” Carol says through Scott’s comm.

“Guess we kinda blew our cover,” Scott says with an apologetic look, then begins to examine the tiny hole they entered in.

Hope shrugs and joins him to see what he’s looking at. “Oh well, we’ll be gone in a minute.” She doesn’t bother to turn around when she adds, “By the way, good fighting kid. How are your ribs?”

“They’re fi-” Peter is cut off by his own sudden screaming.

Hope and Scott spin around to see what seems to be blue electricity engulfing Peter, who continues screaming until it stops. He falls to his knees, hands wrapped around his neck and gasping. 

“Peter!” Hope yells and begins to run towards him, but stops when she sees a figure approach out of the corner of her eye. 

“Ross,” Scott says before Hope can.

“Hello Mr. Lang. Or should I say, Mr. Van Dyne. Congratulations,” Ross greets with a sickening grin. Scott notices a remote in his hand as he stands directly behind Peter. Peter doesn’t even seem to notice. “You did well beating up about twenty American Army soldiers in less than two minutes. I’m glad to see the Avengers have their priorities straight. Unfortunately, I can’t let you leave with my property.”

“Peter is not your property,” Hope practically growls.

“Technically no, but he is a prisoner of the US.” He holds the button on the remote down and Peter screams again inside the blue electricity. “A dangerous one, might I add.”

This time when the electricity stops, Peter collapses to the ground completely. 

“Leave him alone!” Scott shouts and begins to approach Ross, but stops when he pulls out a gun. Instead of training it on either Hope or Scott, though, he points it straight at Peter’s motionless body.

“You didn’t think I was and idiot, did you? I know both of you would shrink before a bullet reached you. 

My scanners didn’t pick up any ways of transports around, so I don’t even know how you planned to escape. It doesn’t matter, though, because now I have Spider-man, Ant-man, _ and _ the Wasp in my custody. I ho-”

Suddenly, a blast of energy hits Ross in the chest and he goes flying backwards into a wall. His gun drops on the floor, as well as the remote. 

Hope and Scott look behind them to see Carol walking out of a hole in the wall.

“Ok, 2 minutes,” she says as she deactivates her helmet. “Who was that?”

“Carol, did you just kill the Secretary of State?” Hope asks.

“That was the Secretary of State? No, I didn’t kill him, just stunned him.” She walks closer to them and catches sight of Peter. “Oh my gosh, what happened‽”

“I don’t know, Ross did something to him,” Scott says as he and his wife rush to Peter’s side with Carol. Hope smashes the discarded remote with her foot.

“I leave you guys alone for like 30 minutes…” Carol mutters as she picks Peter up and cradles his limp body close to her. Holding Peter with one hand, she let’s Hope and Scott (now shrunk) climb into her other hand and places them in the waterproof pouch. After activating her helmet once more, she blasts out of the prison.

And she hopes she _ never _ has to come back.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So there's good news and bad news. Bad news is (you've probably guessed)...corona. It's shut down many schools - including mine - and other important events. It's making living a lot more difficult, so I encourage you to find joy where you can. On the other hand, though...it gives me plenty of time to write! I hope to be posting very regularly for at least the next two weeks. And since this story is (sadly) coming to a close, I'm open to suggestions on other things to write! I have plenty of ideas of my own.
> 
> I hope you guys have enjoyed the story so far, and thank you for all your support! With the coronavirus spreading so rapidly, you will all be in my prayers. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!


	21. SAFETY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is finally safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so, sorry about the prank yesterday. I do hope you enjoy this chapter. Technically it is the end of the story, but I do have a post credit scene coming:) (so don't leave yet!)

“They’re fi-” Peter stops as a pain ten times worse than anything he’s ever felt courses through his body. He screams. He can’t stop screaming.

After what feels like eternity, the pain stops. It completely vanishes, like it was never there in the first place.

But he’s not fooled. He knows it was there and he knows where it came from. Dropping to his knees, he scratches at the collar on his neck, desperate to get it off. Somewhere in the back of his head, he senses somebody approaching, but it doesn’t matter; his brain is too muddled to think straight and it feels as if all his energy has been drained.

He gasps for breath, placing one hand on the ground to keep himself from completely falling over. He’s vaguely aware of Hope and Scott having a conversation with someone behind him. 

Then he’s screaming again. The pain is so bad, even worse than last time, if that’s even possible. He doesn’t want to pass out, not again; it’s just too much. He wants to be strong, he wants to be strong…

The white on the edges of his eyes takes over, and he’s lost to the world of darkness once more.

~

His brain is on again. 

He’s not conscious, per se. Well, sorta. All he can do is think, and use his senses (normal senses, definitely not enhanced) to the bare minimum. 

He can slightly feel cold air against his skin, and someone’s body heat...unnatural body heat. Wait, is someone holding him? 

His eyelids seem to be weighed down and he can’t see anything. After a few attempts, he finally gets them open, only to be met by darkness. No, darkness and a familiar glow.

He stirs a bit, and whoever is holding him grips him tighter. 

“Capt’n…?” he slurs. 

His vision is fuzzy, but he thinks he sees Captain Marvel smile down at him.

“Hang on kid, we’re almost there,” her voice reassures, but it seems to be drifting away.

No,  _ he’s _ drifting away. His eyelids are heavy again, too heavy. He’s so tired…

The next time he wakes up, he immediately senses many people surrounding him. They’re all talking excitedly, though he can’t make out what they’re saying. He tries to move but can’t seem to. 

That’s ok, he’s still pretty tired anyways. Maybe he’ll just go back to sleep…

A voice keeps him awake. Then a hand stroking his hair. He forces his eyes to open.

“Oh my gosh, you’re awake! Guys! He’s awake!” yells a voice.  _ MJ. _

He tries to sit up, but instantly falls back down. 

“Whoa there buddy, let’s take it easy ok? You just got shocked by 2500 milliamps of pure electricity,” says another voice, probably Scott.

They begin explaining to him things like “You’re on the jet” and “We called Wanda, she said try not to move in case you trigger the collar”. He’s pretty sure he hears someone say that they’re headed to New Zealand, but he can’t be sure. It doesn’t matter, nothing is making sense to him. He just nods his head slowly, closes his eyes carefully, and slips back into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

~

Peter shoots up. His chest rises and falls rapidly as his heart beats against his chest furiously. Where is he? What happened?

After he calms down, he begins to take in his surroundings. He realizes he’s in a bed, in a decent sized room with huge windows. The windows are tinted though, so he can’t see outside. Colorful beads and hanging cloths fill the room...what? The last place he remembers being is the Raft, and it definitely wasn’t this nice. Has he... _ oh _ . Everything comes back to him at once. Hope and Scott, the escape, the-

His spider sense picks up voices coming towards him. He pulls off the blanket over him and begins to get out of bed when he becomes extremely dizzy and falls back on it for support. Pepper bursts through the door at this exact moment.

“Whoa there kid, calm down. Let me help you.”

Pepper helps Peter back into the bed, then sits on the end.

“Thanks Mrs. Stark,” Peter says. 

“No problem. From what I heard, you took a big hit when you guys escaped.”

“What…” Peter begins confused, but then realization hits him and he instinctively reaches for his neck.

When he is met by nothing but slightly singed flesh, he hears Pepper chuckling and looks up at her. He notices that she is holding his collar from the Raft in her hand.

“Looking for this?” Peter nods. “I was just talking about it with Shuri outside when we got an alert that you were awake. And if you’re wondering how we got it off, it was Wanda. She has some...experience with these things.”

“Oh...Tell her thank you.” Peter falls silent for a few moments. 

Pepper breaks into his thoughts. “Look, Peter. Ross was so wrong to put you in that place, and treat you like he did. What - What did he even say to you?”

Peter opens his mouth, but no words come out. “I...uh…”

Pepper shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. I can guess. Just know, none if it is true, ok? None of it. You’re not an animal, and you, especially you, do not deserve to be treated like one.”

Pepper brushes some hair from Peter’s eyes and cups his cheek. Peter looks into her eyes.

“It’s just, I should have been able to get myself out. I mean, I’m really happy for your guys’s help, but,” Peter takes a deep breath, then exhales shakily, “I’m  _ Spider-man _ .”

Pepper doesn’t answer, just gives him a tired smile. “It’s never wrong to accept help. Even Tony, who was the proudest man I knew, understood that he couldn’t do things alone. That’s why he joined the Avengers. He  _ needed _ a team to support him. Do you know how many times he would've died before he even met you if he didn’t accept help?”

Peter shakes his head, though he knows it’s a rhetorical question.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Pepper asks, and when Peter eagerly nods, she continues. “He would have never admitted it, but that’s what Tony loved the most about you. He knew he was arrogant and even rude. But when he saw you, a 14 year old kid who could lift buses but still apologized to chairs when you bumped into them - don’t give me that face, FRIDAY caught it all on camera - he fell in love with you.”

Pepper wraps the boy in a hug.

“All he wanted you to do, is fall in love with yourself.”

As soon as they pull away from each other, Shuri walks through the door.

“Hey Shuri,” Pepper greets as she stands up from the bed.

“Hello Mrs. Stark. Hello Peter.”

“Hi,” Peter says shyly. Then something comes to his mind. “Oh my gosh, I forgot to ask. Where are we?”

Shuri smirks. 

“Allow me to introduce you to my home.” She presses a button on her bracelet, and the tint from the windows slowly disappears, revealing a beautiful, high-tech city bustling with life. Peter lifts his head to get a better look.

“Is that…”

Shuri smiles wider. 

“Welcome to Wakanda.”

~

Peter gasps as Shuri reveals yet another awesome thing in her lab. He can hear MJ laughing from behind him and Happy pulling luggage somewhere nearby. Morgan is showing Ned how to work some piece of tech and May and Pepper are talking to King T’Challa about Peter’s stay in Wakanda.

It had been a long talk with May, but she and Peter had ultimately decided that it would be safer for him to stay in Wakanda alone. She has to go back to New York with Pepper to try to clear his name. Meanwhile, Peter will work on recovering and doing his senior year in the coolest country ever.

It’s still hard to believe. He knows this is what May wants for him (and he has to admit, he wants it too), but he’s still going to miss them so much. He desperately hopes this plan will work; he’s so sick of running and hiding.

May comes behind him without him noticing and puts her arms around his neck.

“Hey baby. Whatcha doing?”

Peter turns around to face her. “Shuri was just showing me something cool. What about you?”

“I just got done talking to T’Challa.” She begins to pull him away from the group. “Shuri, would it be ok if we went outside for a bit?”

Shuri nods her head and the two walk down a beautiful hallway and outside into an even more beautiful garden. Peter, May, MJ, Ned, Happy, Pepper, and Morgan had been staying at the Wakandan palace for the last couple days, thanks to the royal family’s apparent inability to say no to “Americans in need”. Despite their generous offer to stay as long as needed, everyone except Peter was scheduled to leave in a few minutes. They were taking their last look around now.

As soon as they find a place to sit in the enormous garden, May practically throws herself on Peter.

“Are you sure you want this? I can stay, if you want me to,” she whispers, and Peter can tell she’s crying.

“I’m going to miss you guys…” he takes in a shaky breath, “so much. But-” he pulls away from her so they’re looking eye to eye. “We have to do this. Mrs. Stark is right. They’re never gonna stop coming for me. And part of me wants you to stay here because I know you’ll be safe, but…”

A puzzled look comes on her face. “But what?”

“Let’s face it May. You wouldn’t survive a week in this place. I know how much you love New York, and I know you would hate the idea of hiding. I know I almost can’t stand it.”

May begins to protest, but stops and smiles instead. “You’re right. I think...I think this is the best way to go.”

They sit together without talking for a few minutes.

“I love you baby.”

“I love you too May.”

Peter hears footsteps approaching. Soon he and May are surrounded by the rest of his family. MJ has an authentic colorful Wakandan bag gifted to her by Shuri thrown over her shoulder. Ned is holding Morgan in his arms and Happy is carrying what seems to be his  _ and  _ May’s luggage. Pepper is finishing tapping something on her phone.

“Well dork, guess this is where we say goodbye,” MJ says, but her voice is filled with emotion. Ned, on the other hand, is flat out crying. “We’re gonna miss you buddy.” 

Morgan lets go of Ned and reaches for Peter, who stands up and takes her. She buries her head in his chest, and (uncharacteristically) stays silent. 

“I- I left your suit in your room. Both of them, actually,” Happy says, obviously trying not to sound too sad. “I also left...um...EDITH.”

Peter lifts an eyebrow. “You had EDITH the whole time?”

“Yeah. After all the craziness, I kind of forgot to tell you. But she’s safe now.” Happy pauses. “Just like you.”

Pepper smiles. “Out of everything, there’s two things you need to remember Peter.”

“What’s that?”

Pepper steps closer. “That you’re safe.”

Peter grins. “And what’s the second thing?”

Pepper doesn’t answer. Instead, she, Happy, MJ, Ned, and May crowd around him and pull him into a hug. Even Morgan wraps her little arms around him.

“The second thing is that we love you.”

A million thoughts go through his head, but one stands out.

_ Be strong, don’t cry. _

“I’m strong,” he whispers, smiling as tears stream down his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *roll credits*
> 
> My friend's notes:
> 
> Hey guys! So, I really hope you've enjoyed this story. I'm actually not going to do credits until after the actual last chapter. I do have a quick question though.
> 
> What are some ideas of one shots for the following characters or groups of characters?
> 
> Tony & Morgan & Pepper & Happy; Nat & Steve (platonic please); Cassie & Luis & Dave & Kurt; Rhodey & Carol; Nebula & Rocket; Okoye & Ramonda & M'Baku & Nakia; Thor & Valkyrie & Korg & Miek; Bruce; Clint (as Ronan)
> 
> Please comment your ideas!


	22. Post Credit Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and MJ have a much needed talk. Alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So to make this a real post credits scene, here are the credits!
> 
> My friend's credits:
> 
> First off, thank you to God for giving me the passion and talent (I hope) to write! Thank you to my friend for posting this on her account! And thank you readers for supporting the story and sticking with it! This has been so much fun:)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this last scene, it explains some things you may have been wondering about.
> 
> I'll be back with more content soon...

Peter joins the collective gasp as Morgan shows off her latest project, a skeleton for a suit that she claims is for Gerald, their alpaca.

He is on his first video meeting with his new kimoyo beads. It’s a group call, and six small sand heads float above his bracelet.

“That’s awesome Morgan!” Peter says with a smile.

“Super cool!” Ned agrees.

Morgan beams proudly, and Pepper laughs.

“Thanks guys. She’s been working on this ever since we got back. She says her and Gerald are going to fight off all the bad guys in New York.”

Peter shakes his head in amusement. “Well, someone’s gotta do it while Spiderman’s gone. I know the city will be in good hands with Morgan and Gerald.”

“You’ll be back at it in no time, Peter,” May assures. “Did I tell you? Happy and I are organizing a protest, and we’ve already got a bunch of people signed up! Right Happy?”

Happy doesn’t look as excited as May. “Yeah, but don’t worry Pete, we’ll stay safe.”

“I know you will Happy. Mr. Stark always said security was your one and only joy,” Peter says.

Happy looks at May for a few seconds. “Well, it’s not my only joy…”

Pepper’s phone buzzes, getting everyone’s attention.

“Oh, sorry guys. This could be important. I’m so glad to see you’re warming up to Wakanda Peter. See you next time, we miss you!”

Soon, Pepper and Morgan’s heads disappear.

“Well, I guess we’ll be going too,” May announces. “We love you baby. Bye!”

May and Happy jump off the call, and after a bit more chatting, Ned follows. Peter realizes it’s just him and MJ left.

“You haven’t been very talkative,” Peter comments.

MJ rolls her eyes. “Whatever. I like to watch people, remember? Also, these beads are crazy cool.”

She smiles, and Peter smiles back. He wishes so much for her to be right next to him, holding his hand.

“How’s school over there?” MJ finally asks.

“It’s good. Shuri started me with homeschooling, so I can focus on recovering. She wanted me to slowly start attending classes at one of the city schools, but I convinced her I can jump right in by next week. It’s going to be so exciting, plus the therapy here is crazy good, and actually helpful. Mr. Barnes actually lives here, so he shows me around a lot.” He pauses before adding, “So how’s Midtown?”

“Getting back to normal. Ned and I are super popular now, so that’s weird. Flash is, still a jerk, but pretty harmless. He actually might be getting better. Brad is the one I have the most issues with. How can people be so stupid…” she raises her eyebrows like she’s given up trying to understand.

Peter is confused. “What is he doing?”

“He still flirts with me, first off. Crazy, I know. He’s always asking if we had an abusive relationship? By the way, I have to pretend that we broke up so people don’t ask me where you are.”

Peter nods understandingly.

“Anyways, long story short, he’s totally on Mysterio’s side. And he thinks I’m available. So there’s that. And we already know how our teachers deal with weird things.” She says the next part with such sarcastic joy Peter actually winces. “Pretend nothing ever happened, because that will fix everything and we’ll all live happily ever after.”

“Of course it will!” Peter laughs in response.

When MJ finishes laughing with him, she asks, “So how are you taking everything? I know we never really got a chance to look at the world’s reaction, you know, after everything.”

“Still haven’t,” Peter scoffs, slightly annoyed. “Shuri restricted all news channels, and somehow made sure nothing with a hashtag that says Spiderman or Peter Parker shows up on my Instagram. She said it’s all part of the recovery, but…”

“You don’t like being kept in the dark. It’s fine, I got you. So pretty much it’s a split argument. Like split down the middle. People haven’t disagreed on something this much since the Last Jedi came out. They’re all over the spectrum. Some know you’re completely innocent and even deserve more after this whole ordeal, and some want you dead.”

Peter raises an eyebrow. “Nice.”

All of a sudden, neither teen has anything to say. They stare at each other, taking in the state of the other. Peter wears the same look of tiredness that’s been over him for the past years. MJ, on the other hand, doesn’t look like she usually does. She seems almost...on edge. The seconds tick by without either of them speaking, and Peter suddenly feels the need to fill the silence.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you, I followed Liz on Instagram. Just so you know.”

MJ is quick to answer. “Me too. I also followed Cassie and Harley. It looks like they’re spending more time with each other.”

Peter grins. “They’re cute. I mean, w-”

“Peter?” MJ cuts off.

Peter looks at her. The anxiousness that Peter had noticed before seems to have increased. MJ isn’t one to be anxious, she’s rarely ever stressed. What’s going on?

“MJ? What’s wrong?”

MJ looks hesitant. “Nothing’s wrong...it’s just...I mean…”

“MJ, you were fine two minutes ago. What happened?”

“Peter, I’ve been meaning to tell you something. Like, for a long time. I...I...I’ve been trying to find a good moment, but with all the craziness, and all these other people around, I mean…”

“Michelle, spit it out,” Peter says, almost harshly. What could she possibly have to tell him?

“Ok look. I’m just gonna say it, and this is going to catch you completely off guard. I’m not entirely...normal. Like, we have a LOT in common. Right now’s not the best time to get into it but…”

“What?” Peter asks worriedly. “What do you mean, a lot in common?”

“Peter, I have powers too. Superpowers, like yours.”

“P-powers? Wait, what? Since when? What kind??”

“Since I was fourteen. I know I know, I should’ve said something, this is so unreal. It’s hard to explain how I got them...I’m still not even completely sure. I’ve hid them well, especially after that whole deal with the Sokovia Accords and the Avengers issue. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m finally telling someone about this…”

Peter doesn’t react immediately. It takes his brain a while to understand what she’s saying.

“Wait wait wait, you still haven’t told me what powers!”

“Oh yeah. Well, you see, at first I thought I was just telepathic. You have no idea how stressful it is when you hear everyone’s voices inside your own head. Soon I learned how to block it out, and then I just tried to ignore it. I was so scared Peter...and I hate that I was. I should’ve been good, like you. I should’ve used them to help other people, instead of running away. Well, after this whole issue, I finally decided to stop running. I tried them out, tried to learn about them. And I figured out some really cool stuff.” Peter realizes MJ’s eyes are shining. “Like,  _ really  _ cool.”

“W-what did you figure out?” he asks nervously.

MJ takes a deep breath. “Ok, promise me you won’t freak out.”

Peter gulps. “Ok…”

MJ closes her eyes, and suddenly, her sand head disappears. Had she left the call? Peter shakes his bracelet, but nothing happens.

“Don’t freak out.”

Peter whips his head around to see MJ staring at him, inches away from his face.

“WHAT THE-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didn't know, this is why she and Wanda acted weird around each other;) Also, if this entire fic gets 10000 reads, I may post a special deleted chapter, if that's something you guys would be interested in.
> 
> Hope you have a great day! Jesus loves you!
> 
> (Also, May the Fourth be with you)

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written by my best friend so all credit to her. She doesn't have a lot of social media, but if you want to follow her on Pinterest, here's the link: https://www.pinterest.com/conwayjlama/ Here are her notes:
> 
> Hey guys! Really hope you're enjoying the story so far, and if you are, I'm super happy for one thing, and don't worry, there will be PLENTY more chapters. Have a great day! Jesus loves you!
> 
> EDIT: Hey guys, I've posted a question in my works. If you guys wouldn't mind checking that out, that would be great!


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